Items no 4 & 5: The Magritte Thingies
A second is the Fantasy Eyes, which nods both to the Therapist and The Son of Man. This time, it’s your whole body apart from your shoulders and head that disappears, and your head is hidden behind an apple.
René Magritte (1898–1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He’s most famous for his pictures of pipes and outfits without bodies in them. Yip must have a thing for him, as she’s made a few pieces inspired by his works.
Item no 6: The Waldemar Twin Now it’s getting scary! Here you get to be a small boy that most probably could use some serious help, poor thing. The Waldemar Twin is a full avatar including shape and skin. I think Yip created him for a freak show. He looks like someone that could be running down a cobblestone street in a rainy town in Europe sometime between the two world wars. He’s got knee lengths brown trousers, a stripy, greenish shirt with a matching hat, a cute drum and drumsticks (with animations), brown socks, no shoes, and a fresh fish between his teeth.
One such piece is the Therapist, based on Magritte’s painting of the same name (Therapeute). You sit on square cut stones. Floating above them is a birdcage partly covered in a dark red cloth with a bowler hat on top. As you sit down on the stones, your torso and your head, which should have been inside the cage and the hat, disappears completely, creating an…, um…., surreal effect. You might want to bring your own Chaplin stick, though, as the Magritte stick might be out of reach for your hand. Otherwise, it’s a perfect trophee d’art.
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