Original artwork description:

Gentleman's Hat was included in my solo-show entitled MIND YOUR HAT. The exhibited cycle of sculptures is a continuation of my research in architectural qualities of everyday objects, this time costume pieces. The catalog introductory text explains the exhibition's further concerns:

Djordje Aralica: MIND YOUR HAT!

Costume has been a recognizable sign of social status for centuries. Apart from the social rank, certain parts of costume, such as caps or hats, convey various aspects of personal identity. All at once, a hat perched atop a head, it seems, conceals the thoughts below. Inasmuch, change of hat conceals, or maybe reveals, change of attitude. Changing hats, symbols of authority and power, signify a desired change of social identity. Aralica's hats and caps made of chains, symbols of restraint, challenge the possibility of such a transition. Besides, transparency of the objects built in such a way makes the basic purpose of a hat, which is to cover and conceal, pointless. Chain as a material becomes a riddle. It is both playful and serious. It connotes, as a hat itself, both factual and mystified. Its appealing ambiguity provokes the spectator to contemplate the exhibited object and its intended message. Albeit the notoriously challenging medium, Djordje Aralica’s oversized hats and caps create the atmosphere of childish delight. Therefore, everyone who seeks to communicate their personal attitude by choosing a hat or a cap will appreciate the rich offer made by Aralica’s workshop under the slogan MIND YOUR HAT!

Ljubomir Milanović, PhD, art historian
The Institute for Byzantine Studies, SASA, Belgrade

Materials used:

Metal, black paint

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