An object that have followed me since the first time I visited a Tiki Bar and somewhat of a constant in my ceramic practice. Tiki mugs is an American kitchy cocktail mug that often appropriates polynesian culture in it's aestethics. It's a vessel that does not only hold drinks, but a wide spectrum of discourses concerning cultural appropriation, post colonialism and the issues around how we reduce entire cultures, and the history and power structures embedded in them, to commercial products and lifestyles for us to consume. I've been making Tiki mugs and cocktail mugs since around 2017, with the ever growing elements of the concerns mentioned above implented to my work. What used to give me a mindful quick escape dreaming about the tranquility of a sunset in some place warm, drinking from these vessels nowadays reminds me of the colonial history that gave birth to pop cultures such as these and on whose account we keep on consuming them.
Lately, I've been digging into my archive and managed to find copies of almost all of the models that I've done during the past years. I will present them in a serie of pictures on my Instagram page @sebastianhagelstam the weeks to come.
Best regards
Seb