The Zhanaozen Lover's eye, Ada Yu
SKU: AY_02
The Zhanaozen Lover's eye
Gold-plated silver, brass, precious and semi-precious stones, digital print, liquid glass
10,5 x 11cm (4,1 x 4,3 in)
2012
unique edition
In the 18th century, Lover’s eyes were small miniatures that depicted the eye of the beloved and were worn as pieces of jewelry for sentimental reasons. The miniatures were especially popular within the European elites where they acted as artifacts of love affairs. Yu appropriates this almost forgotten visual token to fill it with new meanings. In this particular case, the miniature depicts the eye of the former president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev whose political legacy and 30 years of leadership are subjects to criticism and analysis.
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