work
Lean on me
| category | Sculpture |
| subject | Political / Social |
| tags | |
| base | 12 cm |
| height | 17 cm |
| depth | 12 cm |
| year | 2023 |
Lean on me
2023
Purple Brushmarker on Double Styrofoam Cup
16.8 x 11.7 x 11.7 cm
1/3
“A cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine, then an opioid-based analgesic, and a soda, and there you have it, Lean, or purple drank. This new drug, introduced with the hip-hop scene in the 1990s, has become part of the trap aesthetic from the beginning: praised by artists in song lyrics and often used by those who listen to this music. The beverage has a bright purple colour and is served in large party cups. […] Examining the testimonies about the experiences of those who have tried it, serious breathing difficulties are reported, in the worst cases leading to potentially fatal respiratory crises, addiction, lethargy, dissociative sensations in some parts of the body, drowsiness, and therefore difficulty standing. It is not a coincidence that the English verb “to lean”, from which the drug takes its name, means precisely “to incline” but also “to rely on”. […]
From the observation of reality and these reflections arises the work of plurale, Lean on me (2023), a title taken from Bill Withers’ homonymous song from 1972. On two white party cups, stacked on top of each other as they are commonly used to consume Lean, a help message seems to have been impressed. A purple inscription says:
Lean on me / When you’re not strong / And I’ll be your friend / I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long / Till I’m gonna need somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride / If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill / Those of your needs that you won’t let show¹
These are words from the song by the American singer-songwriter, chronologically very distant from our present, but if observed more closely, they might seem like the testament of someone left at the end of an ordinary Saturday night. The installation looks like a contemporary archaeological artifact that seems to rise as a manifesto of a common distress shared by an entire generation: a cry from someone who needs to be heard and understood.”
From “SNITCH. Fenomenologia di un’Italia che cambia” / “SNITCH. Phenomenology of a changing Italy”, critical text by Alessio Vigni
¹ Bill Withers, “Lean on me”, prod. Bill Withers, Benorce Blackman, Ray Jackson, James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap, Still Bill, Columbia/Legancy, 1972.
2023
Purple Brushmarker on Double Styrofoam Cup
16.8 x 11.7 x 11.7 cm
1/3
“A cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine, then an opioid-based analgesic, and a soda, and there you have it, Lean, or purple drank. This new drug, introduced with the hip-hop scene in the 1990s, has become part of the trap aesthetic from the beginning: praised by artists in song lyrics and often used by those who listen to this music. The beverage has a bright purple colour and is served in large party cups. […] Examining the testimonies about the experiences of those who have tried it, serious breathing difficulties are reported, in the worst cases leading to potentially fatal respiratory crises, addiction, lethargy, dissociative sensations in some parts of the body, drowsiness, and therefore difficulty standing. It is not a coincidence that the English verb “to lean”, from which the drug takes its name, means precisely “to incline” but also “to rely on”. […]
From the observation of reality and these reflections arises the work of plurale, Lean on me (2023), a title taken from Bill Withers’ homonymous song from 1972. On two white party cups, stacked on top of each other as they are commonly used to consume Lean, a help message seems to have been impressed. A purple inscription says:
Lean on me / When you’re not strong / And I’ll be your friend / I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long / Till I’m gonna need somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride / If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill / Those of your needs that you won’t let show¹
These are words from the song by the American singer-songwriter, chronologically very distant from our present, but if observed more closely, they might seem like the testament of someone left at the end of an ordinary Saturday night. The installation looks like a contemporary archaeological artifact that seems to rise as a manifesto of a common distress shared by an entire generation: a cry from someone who needs to be heard and understood.”
From “SNITCH. Fenomenologia di un’Italia che cambia” / “SNITCH. Phenomenology of a changing Italy”, critical text by Alessio Vigni
¹ Bill Withers, “Lean on me”, prod. Bill Withers, Benorce Blackman, Ray Jackson, James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap, Still Bill, Columbia/Legancy, 1972.
