Elmgreen & Dragset, John Armleder: Room Service

The artists have reimagined Casa Corbelinni-Wasserman with spatial interventions, creating a dreamlike universe that invites viewers to create new and twisted associations.

In this new exhibition, Elmgreen & Dragset and John Armleder treat this historic home as a canvas for experimentation. Their artworks interact with the existing interiors in a way that creates an eerie domestic atmosphere, at one point becoming almost psychedelic. With their use of mundane, readymades, hyperrealism and minimal geometric abstraction, the artists challenge the grand bourgeois setting. With artefacts, sculptures, paintings, and designs, the artists have created several immersive environments where each room tells its own story.

The initial inspiration for Room Service stems from Elmgreen & Dragset’s long-standing admiration for Armleder’s work. The three artists, who first met in the early 2000s, share a passion for everyday objects and their versatility. The duo’s works, together with the Swiss artist, are alluring and engaging while also subverting the conventional expectations of art. It is as if the entire enterprise of contemporary art with its many systems quietly amuses them, yet they remain committed to pushing the boundaries of what it can be.