Objects of Desire

To want, to wish, to crave, to long for something or for someone. The story of desire is implicitly a story of possession, be it in a physical or in an aspirational sense. Inviting the viewers to reflect on the processes and perceptions of desire, both on a personal and historical level, the films included in our Objects of Desire program operate at the margins between the objective and the subjective, between the real and the imaginary, between the past and the present, recontextualising a series of seemingly generic objects and investing them with an new significance. A broken Iphone becomes the depositary of the glitchy, failing memory of a past love, the beaten metal carcasses of cars are used as a visual embodiment for a woman’s recollection of an abusive relationship, AI chatbots are shaped into becoming virtual replicas of their human users' ideal companions and more. Here, the longing for belonging has been transformed into a form of hopeless nostalgia, haunting our wishes and aspirations, while it remains virtually unattainable. (Oana Ghera)