Dali Happy/Dali Sad, 1997, Diameter: 24 inches
“There is no solution, because there is no problem. Problems are inventions of spirit.” Marcel Duchamp
This sculptural collage is a portrait of the Spanish surrealist made from the round face of a traditional clock and two dried branches replacing the clock’s hands and mimicking the famous Dali’s mustache, that has been a live barometer for the artist’s mood. A viewer is invited to participate in topsy-turvy game, in which 180-degree turn of the dial can dramatically change the facial expression of the portrait, thus providing a radical psychotherapeutic solution.
Dali’s obsessions with psychoanalysis, sadomasochism, dreams and fantasies are common in our contemporary society that may be perceived as traumatogenic through its unattainable ideals of perfection conveyed by the globalized market, excess of excitements and the constant bombarding of images that make reflection and response difficult, if not impossible. The importance of psychoanalysis today and its impact upon the individual and society in the US is direct and profound. The obsessive attempts at beauty, youth and happiness, the inability to coop with reality are leading to the growth of pathologies, addictions, frustration and depression.
A “quicker-fixer-upper” may be found in Kleinian psychoanalysis: a play technique through direct, behavioral connections to the physical world, - the innovation that challenged Freud’s theory on the development of superego and led to controversy between the British analysts and the Viennese Society.
