Grand Illusion
Mixed Media Installation; 60’W x 7’H x 3’D and 10’W x 3’H x 3’D
Grand Illusion occupies two display windows positioned five feet apart, mimicking the visual language of retail while interrogating the boundaries between reality and fantasy. The installation combines front pages of domestic and foreign newspapers, a VCR looping a Mickey Mouse cartoon, flashing yellow lights, velvet, mirrors, and a porcelain Mickey Mouse statue, crafting a hybrid space where the commercial, the cultural, and the fantastical intersect.
By presenting newspapers and cartoon icons in the context of a store display, Grand Illusion examines how media constructs perception, offering a subtle critique of mass culture’s interplay between fact and fiction. The two windows, mirroring each other, suggest that the same “merchandise” can be sold under different guises, prompting viewers to question what is real, what is performed, and how easily the line between the two can blur.