Alice NIKITINOVA, 2008 Three Trash Cans Three Trash Cans

In our daily lives, we are surrounded by a vast number of objects; most are essential, yet we pay little or no attention to them. Often, their added value lies simply in their functionality. Artist Alice Nikitinová is interested in precisely these objects, which appear modest and unattractive, such as rubbish bins. During a residency in Amsterdam in 2008, the artist explored the city. Everything around her seemed idyllic, beautiful and cosy, like a postcard motif. The houses, canals and streets formed a perfect backdrop: the exact opposite of Nikitinová’s artistic focus of interest. One day, however, she discovered rubbish bins and gave them the lead role in her painting. All the bins were numbered, reminding the artist of vehicle number plates. However, the inscription ICOVA refers to the Dutch waste management company. Nikitinová enjoyed the painting’s almost abstract flair, but with very precise, realistic information provided by these numbers and the company’s name. It is only the numbers and the company name that add precise and realistic information to the painting. In addition, the rubbish bins represent a system of social order and structure that shapes life for the city’s residents. How do you separate different forms of waste? What does that mean for the common good, and what sustainable effect does it have in the long term? These perhaps unwelcome, unnoticed objects that accompany our daily lives, found on street corners, in utility areas, and in our homes, tell the story of our consumer behaviour and modern society. Nikitinová’s art captures and foregrounds the aesthetic potential of these objects.