high fantasy, low expectations
I feel sad when I’m listening to the radio and miss the name of the song I like, 2024. 1990 x 1390 mm Acrylic, charcoal and oil on canvas, brushed aluminium frame.
A great big TV, 2024. 1990 x 1390 mm Acrylic, charcoal and oil on canvas, brushed aluminium frame.
Very expensive work shirts, for simple tasks–RAPTOR, 2024. 1990 x 1390 mm Acrylic, charcoal and oil on canvas, brushed aluminium frame.
You are very important to me, as you will no doubt find out, 2024. 1500 (h) x 300(l) x 300(d) mm. Marble, Stainless steel, hand engraved aluminium, phishing email.
Deep christening - being better, 2024. 750 x 700 x 70mm. Plywood, mild steel.
Legitimate fortunes, 2024. 5min 41sec. 4K, synchronised, two channel video with sound.
In the back, with a twist, 2024. 400 x 200mm. Sand cast aluminium.
In the front, double tap, 2024. 400 x 120mm. Sand cast aluminium.
In the back again, left handed, 2024. 370 x 210mm. Sand cast aluminium.
The weight of the world in your pocket, 2024. 10 x 15mm. Pigmented expanding foam, stainless steel.
This project was commissioned by The Minderoo Artist Fund and included a residency at The Junction in Port Hedland and culminated in a presentation of a new body of work at Sweet Pea Gallery in Boorloo.
High fantasy, low expectations marks Bruno Booth’s debut exhibition at Sweet Pea. The body of work stitches together the escapism of fantasy aesthetics with the harsh reality-check of life in late-capitalism. Across painting, sculpture, and video, Bruno’s project surveys the grim economic landscape of metropolitan Boorloo and the regional north of Western Australia. Bit by bit, these creative artefacts parody fantastical ideations of mundane pursuits for basic economic survival, in a manner that is constructive and sarcastic.
A use of pop culture motifs to navigate nuanced social relations and ideas of economic disability has been a driving force between Bruno’s recent practice. Here, we see their latest artistic effort extend to regional communities and industrial worksites, exploring what's at the forefront of the WA working class’ anxieties. In a tongue-in-cheek fashion, the show reveals the dual absurdity and legitimacy of modern day proletariat coping mechanisms that are used to add a bit of glamour to increasingly difficult late-capitalist quests (such as home ownership, a living wage and access to education). Referencing video-game tropes, speculative fiction aesthetics, generative systems of human/machine collaboration, and even medieval swords found at the bottom of the sea, High fantasy, low expectations indexes the fairy-tale-meets-pipe-dream nature of economic survival in exceedingly dire circumstances.