Silence Is Deadly

2001 | Rocking horse, motor, wooden fence, 2 chairs, mirror | H 128 x W 162 x D 162 cm
 

The title refers to the saying: “Speaking is silver, silence is gold”. The pink rocking horse symbolises being a child, the child who climbs onto the toy, tries it out, rocks back and forth, finds its own rhythm, rocks itself… Except this rocking horse moves mechanically and much too fast, bucking to a bewildering strange rhythm, and also the sound of the motor is a monotonous, high-pitched screech… Something here isn’t right.

In the background, two pink chairs with golden covers represent silent onlookers: those in the family and society who are complicit in sexual crimes, also by omission. The work confronts viewers with their own responsibility to pay attention and not deny what they see, to speak up and take action.