Mischka Andrew
Installation
My artwork explores how individuals can become reduced to evidence, records, or statistics within institutional systems. It draws upon approaches established by artists such as Hans Haacke, Christian Boltanski, and Doris Salcedo, whose works encourage viewers to question structures of authority, memory, and institutional power.
This installation investigates the ways in which victims can become reduced to records and documentation. Through a large collection of plaster finger casts displayed within filing cabinets, the work recreates the atmosphere of a police archive or records room - a space associated with evidence, classification, and storage. Each cast suggests the presence of an individual, carrying traces of a unique identity. However, when the casts are accumulated, categorised, and filed away, they begin to reflect the loss of individuality that can occur when people are processed through bureaucratic systems.
This installation investigates the ways in which victims can become reduced to records and documentation. Through a large collection of plaster finger casts displayed within filing cabinets, the work recreates the atmosphere of a police archive or records room - a space associated with evidence, classification, and storage. Each cast suggests the presence of an individual, carrying traces of a unique identity. However, when the casts are accumulated, categorised, and filed away, they begin to reflect the loss of individuality that can occur when people are processed through bureaucratic systems.
At first glance, visitors may not immediately recognise the artwork within the room, just as the lives and experiences of individuals can become overlooked or obscured within systems of documentation and control. This subtle visual presence encourages viewers to consider those who have been reduced to evidence, statistics, or files, and to reflect on the human stories that remain hidden behind institutional records.