Alexander Blank

Alexander Blank
Smiley, 2022
wall hanging, forged steel, paint
35 x 34 x 9.8 cm
Edition of 3

German jeweler Alexander Blank is known for playing on iconic images and setting them sideways- Looney Tunes characters as skulls for example. Blank’s beaten-up Smiley brooch has been upsized into a wall hanging sculpture.

The artist writes:
“Of course I had to do something with the smiley that you see everywhere, in your text messages, advertisements, pop ups,etc. You kind of get bombed with it!
It somehow lost its symbolism or its iconic value that I know it had in hippy times as a feel good symbol or as part of the youth movement of acid house music and its drug abuse. There it was used on flyers for parties or t-shirts or any other accessories. The Smiley kind of lost its origin because it was used in multiple meanings and will always be reborn freshly for any possible occasion in the future.
It gets abused in a way!
What remains if a Smiley gets worn out?
A smiley that went through all these periods and already had its hard and good times.
Sure, one that has dents and marks on the shiny happy face, but still keeps on smiling, keeps you up! Like this one…”