I bought the pair of socks at the little Friday market near our house, knowing I would never wear them. Light-colored clothes in general, especially socks, are a tough sell for me; anything white gets ruined immediately. What drew me to them, though, was the fact that unless worn with sandals, HOPE would remain completely hidden inside the shoe (later, Iolanda, the curator of the show this piece is in, also pointed out that when put on, half of the word —HO— would end up under the foot).

My only hope of keeping the socks in their pure state was to preserve them in a frame.

I assembled the materials (socks and vintage Korean silk), covered them with a pane of glass, and then smushed the composition into wet paper pulp, creating a pressed frame that holds the socks behind the glass.

What’s Happening!! | Sanguinetto (VR) | October 2024