Artist Interview
Artist Interview
Signal Station
Signal Station
HIGH RISK OF FALLING
Mathijs Hunfeld
HIGH RISK OF FALLING
HIGH RISK OF FALLING
Mathijs Hunfeld
Mathijs Hunfeld
Description
Description
Moving image, 3D-render, sound
4850 x 1250 px, 3 min (loop)
2024
Moving image, 3D-render, sound
4850 x 1250 px, 3 min (loop)
2024
Showcasing a horizon of repetitive and non-hierarchical connections, HIGH RISK OF FALLING explores the relentless cycle of media-driven innovation and withdrawal. Rather than engaging directly, this cycle forms an infinite accumulation of ‘now’, creating an ‘empty-headedness’ that situates the viewer between memory and expectation.
HIGH RISK OF FALLING is a looped pair — an inflatable diamond and a baby — is duplicated in different sizes, forming the shape of a flattened horizon. The scene takes place inside a kind of supermarket setup: two metal bars hold the space in place. The point of view moves through a space built around gachapon machines — not just the machines, but the reality they create. It’s a loop of chance and repetition, where every action is driven by the promise of something new. The clicking sound marks the moment one turns the machine — a small gesture that resets the environment. The whole space spins and drops back down. It’s a sequence without progress: non-linear, suspended, a free fall. Decor for a system that keeps moving but never really changes. In this stalled progress, a slowly shifting present intrudes between action and result.
Hunfeld critiques how capitalism manufactures indistinct identities and, in turn, consumes them rapidly. This constant process of ‘becoming’ challenges the viewer with repetition, highlighting the endless flow of hyper-visual culture. Hunfeld’s work invites audiences to think differently, make alternative choices and enjoy the flow of non-linear story telling.
Hunfeld often analyses the intersection of fine art and consumer goods, testing the boundary of the individual through re-imagination and re-programming assumptions. THIS IS NOT AN EXIT (2024) and “I’ll let you know when I had enough” (2024) are both reflections of Hunfeld’s mission to reconstitute what it means to consume, participate and engage as an audience member.
Artist Note
Artist Note
Showcasing a horizon of repetitive and non-hierarchical connections, the work explores the relentless cycle of media-driven innovation and withdrawal. Rather than engaging directly, this cycle forms an infinite accumulation of ‘now’, creating an ‘empty-headedness’ that situates the viewer between memory and expectation. In this stalled progress, a slowly shifting present intrudes between action and result, where a multiplied pair of the inflatable diamond and baby are put onto an extensive whole. Their relationship rests on the opposing values within ‘TADA,’ emphasizing a non-constructive, infantile approach to self-promotion and indulgence. While further evoking the playful and simplistic language of toys, it promises no community – only sudden shifts in taking off and returning down. Imbued in its own disappearance, the work critiques how capitalism manufactures indistinct identities and, in turn, consumes them rapidly. This constant process of ‘becoming’ challenges the viewer with repetition, highlighting the endless flow of hyper-visual culture.
Showcasing a horizon of repetitive and non-hierarchical connections, HIGH RISK OF FALLING explores the relentless cycle of media-driven innovation and withdrawal. Rather than engaging directly, this cycle forms an infinite accumulation of ‘now’, creating an ‘empty-headedness’ that situates the viewer between memory and expectation.
HIGH RISK OF FALLING is a looped pair — an inflatable diamond and a baby — is duplicated in different sizes, forming the shape of a flattened horizon. The scene takes place inside a kind of supermarket setup: two metal bars hold the space in place. The point of view moves through a space built around gachapon machines — not just the machines, but the reality they create. It’s a loop of chance and repetition, where every action is driven by the promise of something new. The clicking sound marks the moment one turns the machine — a small gesture that resets the environment. The whole space spins and drops back down. It’s a sequence without progress: non-linear, suspended, a free fall. Decor for a system that keeps moving but never really changes. In this stalled progress, a slowly shifting present intrudes between action and result.
Hunfeld critiques how capitalism manufactures indistinct identities and, in turn, consumes them rapidly. This constant process of ‘becoming’ challenges the viewer with repetition, highlighting the endless flow of hyper-visual culture. Hunfeld’s work invites audiences to think differently, make alternative choices and enjoy the flow of non-linear story telling.
Hunfeld often analyses the intersection of fine art and consumer goods, testing the boundary of the individual through re-imagination and re-programming assumptions. THIS IS NOT AN EXIT (2024) and “I’ll let you know when I had enough” (2024) are both reflections of Hunfeld’s mission to reconstitute what it means to consume, participate and engage as an audience member.
Showcasing a horizon of repetitive and non-hierarchical connections, the work explores the relentless cycle of media-driven innovation and withdrawal. Rather than engaging directly, this cycle forms an infinite accumulation of ‘now’, creating an ‘empty-headedness’ that situates the viewer between memory and expectation. In this stalled progress, a slowly shifting present intrudes between action and result, where a multiplied pair of the inflatable diamond and baby are put onto an extensive whole. Their relationship rests on the opposing values within ‘TADA,’ emphasizing a non-constructive, infantile approach to self-promotion and indulgence. While further evoking the playful and simplistic language of toys, it promises no community – only sudden shifts in taking off and returning down. Imbued in its own disappearance, the work critiques how capitalism manufactures indistinct identities and, in turn, consumes them rapidly. This constant process of ‘becoming’ challenges the viewer with repetition, highlighting the endless flow of hyper-visual culture.
Tell us about yourself and your artistic journey.
I’m Mathijs Hunfeld, an interdisciplinary artist based in London. I’m originally from the Netherlands and studied Product Design at ArtEZ before completing an MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art. My work revolves around the messy entanglement of consumer culture, identity, and fantasy — often through the lens of collapse, humour, and self-sabotage. I like to blur the line between art and consumer product, pushing materials and ideas until they unravel or contradict themselves. Working at Prada’s global flagship inside Harrods has been unexpectedly influential. Being embedded in these highly structured, performative spaces — with their intense workflows and constant reinvention — gives me a kind of first-row seat to the machinery of branding and identity construction. It’s addictive and alienating at once, which reflects in my practice. What keeps me making is that tension — fantasy vs breakdown, image vs the person looking back.
What’s the story behind the piece you’re sharing with us?
This piece comes from TADA, a satirical brand exploring liminal public spaces and compromise-based accessories. While other works focus on the body, this one frames space — a horizon of repeated forms inside a supermarket-like setting. Gachapon machines anchor the work: each turn promises something new but delivers the same suspended loop, echoing consumer desire and stalled progress. It’s a decor for a system that keeps moving but never really changes.
How does the QR code street exhition format shape your approach to the viewer’s experience?
The QR code format mimics a digital flirtation — participation without direct invitation. That ambiguity suits the piece’s non-linear nature. Whether viewed in a crowd or alone, the experience loops like our feeds, blurring public and private space. The work isn’t about permanence but proximity, performance, and mediated presence.
With our exhibition theme in mind, when did you last get wonderfully lost—in a city, a thought, or your studio?
I get wonderfully lost watching people assemble their public selves — brands, colours, gestures — a constant remix of identity. The Tube is perfect for that: a compressed space where everything mixes, framing and looping desire in the same way my work does.
If your art could speak, what would it say to passersby?
“I’m not sure if I’m a warning sign or a souvenir.”
Tell us about yourself and your artistic journey.
I’m Mathijs Hunfeld, an interdisciplinary artist based in London. I’m originally from the Netherlands and studied Product Design at ArtEZ before completing an MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art. My work revolves around the messy entanglement of consumer culture, identity, and fantasy — often through the lens of collapse, humour, and self-sabotage. I like to blur the line between art and consumer product, pushing materials and ideas until they unravel or contradict themselves. Working at Prada’s global flagship inside Harrods has been unexpectedly influential. Being embedded in these highly structured, performative spaces — with their intense workflows and constant reinvention — gives me a kind of first-row seat to the machinery of branding and identity construction. It’s addictive and alienating at once, which reflects in my practice. What keeps me making is that tension — fantasy vs breakdown, image vs the person looking back.
What’s the story behind the piece you’re sharing with us?
This piece comes from TADA, a satirical brand exploring liminal public spaces and compromise-based accessories. While other works focus on the body, this one frames space — a horizon of repeated forms inside a supermarket-like setting. Gachapon machines anchor the work: each turn promises something new but delivers the same suspended loop, echoing consumer desire and stalled progress. It’s a decor for a system that keeps moving but never really changes.
How does the QR code street exhition format shape your approach to the viewer’s experience?
The QR code format mimics a digital flirtation — participation without direct invitation. That ambiguity suits the piece’s non-linear nature. Whether viewed in a crowd or alone, the experience loops like our feeds, blurring public and private space. The work isn’t about permanence but proximity, performance, and mediated presence.
With our exhibition theme in mind, when did you last get wonderfully lost—in a city, a thought, or your studio?
I get wonderfully lost watching people assemble their public selves — brands, colours, gestures — a constant remix of identity. The Tube is perfect for that: a compressed space where everything mixes, framing and looping desire in the same way my work does.
If your art could speak, what would it say to passersby?
“I’m not sure if I’m a warning sign or a souvenir.”