Move to Zero

The title originates from the box that the Nike shoes came in: "Move to Zero," it said. We are moving towards a future with 0% CO2 emissions – with Nike, of course. How buying new running shoes reduces CO2 emissions is immediately difficult to understand.

Nevertheless, Mikkel Carl's bronze sculpture "Move to Zero" is an exact replica – you can't tell the difference even up close – of the Nike Air Max 90 that the artist always wears. This is because it was the model he wanted as a confirmation gift in 1990 but never got because they were too expensive. Now he has nine pairs; from brand new in stock to totally destroyed in the studio.

Additionally, the work references the Van Gogh painting that forms the basis for the German philosopher Martin Heidegger's book "The Origin of the Work of Art." Here, the author describes the peasant shoes in the painting in detail, using them as a starting point for the analysis of human existence in the world. The only problem is that Van Gogh's painting does NOT depict a peasant's footwear but rather the artist's own worn-out boots. With a slight paraphrase of composer Arnold Schoenberg's pun, it might be put like this: One does not paint a pair of shoes, one paints the picture of a pair of shoes. Or with Magritte: This is not a shoe.

Mikkel Carl's exploration of readymades reaches new heights with "Move to Zero," where a mundane object is elevated to a vessel of profound meaning. The dark patina not only enhances visual appeal but also underscores the metamorphosis from a commercial item to a work of art. This sculpture is for those who value the intersection of contemporary culture and art.