First International Art Biennial of Buenos Aires – December 2000 – January 2001
Bread and food in all forms and meanings are recurrent themes in the work of Falk and Aguerre. They reoccur throughout the years in different projects, prepared, tasted and eaten in different ways, taking advantage of the subconsciously symbolic tension which most people associate with food. The confrontation which is found within the unexpected uses of this symbol, food, causes unease, anguish or revulsion. Examples are found in Lucia’s bleeding bread, or when the artists encourage the public to walk on the bread in Reliquias, and even in the aggression that brought La Donna’s demise. The Toaster, is another work where bread is used and its symbolism is questioned.
The Toaster is a large picture, 5 meter wide and 4.5 meter high, totally made from slices of bread toasted in different lengths of time to reach the nuances between black and white, ochre and rust. It took several days of work and several friends and their toasters to prepare the 2.500 pieces of toast necessary to build the gigantic mosaic, which reproduce a photograph of a toaster.
The Toaster was among public and press the most popular work at the Buenos Aires Biennial , a “public magnet” as an art critic called it, having an unusual big impact in the news papers and TV.
After the Biennial was acquired by the Modern Art Museum of Buenos Aires, being now a part of it’s permanent collection.
