Mayo & Friends exhibition at Perla-Mode is the résumé of a young artist. Childhood is over, the friends are still there, but changes are happening, people are losing sight of each other, life in the adult world is taking its toll. Emigrate? Have children? Become an artist?
The motto is still action, the assistant job in artists’ studios brings money for life and partying, the style is crazy – and always there: the friends – a gang of wild kids. They go against the expectations of serious life, have ideals such as friendship and solidarity, celebrate living together and take the space that becomes the biotope of their art and creativity. Mayo & Friends convey a snapshot of the attitude to life of a generation that grew up in Zurich in the nineties and the noughties and is searching for its identity and its place.
Mayo wants to get an overview and wrestles with an overflowing collection of personal memories, stowed away in the Perla-Mode basement in piled-up boxes and crates, filled to the brim with sketches, photo albums, police cars, jewellery, notes, plastic toys, letters and works of art from friends. Everything is meaningful, everything is a diary and documentation – art and life. The art space becomes the workplace of Mayo & Friends, the chaotic collection is assembled, dismantled and reorganised into installations.
On the first floor of Perla-Mode, in the message salon, Mayo installs a walk-in, interactive wardrobe with clothes from his collection. Clothing is always also a costume, statement and style, telling stories of everyday life, work and parties. The worn clothes become artefacts in the walk-in wardrobe in the art space, and for the young artist an assurance of a lived existence.
In the corner location of Perla-Mode, Mayo & Friends present an exclusive Mayo & Friends Giftshop with souvenirs, art, publications, graphics, photos, T-shirts, fashion and jewellery put together for this exhibition.
Mayo & Friends are Mayo, Frida, Mayka, Manon, Lili, Michele Da Best, Sabo, Ferdi, Moe, Esta, Amos, Veli, Dario, Caro, Bombe, Hanna & Malou & Louis, Kristin & Frank, Sonja, Soene, Sinta, Moritz, August, Basil klein, Wundi, Domi, Lena, Simi, Linnéa, Tom, Sippi, Suska, Gahna & Mazot, Simi, Ädu, Ölu, Pius, Sami, Sämi, Ruben, Peter, Bambi, Heiko, Magdi, Luca, Jose Maria, Samir, Eric, Chantal, Stefan, Katrin, Joe, Charlotte, Silvan, Roman, Jason, Julia, Jakob, Peter, David, Aisha, Theresa, Etienne, Mia, Fuxi, Anna, Luzian, Cyril, Maude, Lucien, Lukas, Mouranne, Maya, Kuka, Rene, Pierre, Maeriem, Piet, Ingo, Lovis, Paola, Tamtam, Selina, Lea, Omar, Jerlyne, MC Fake, DJ Suspect, Adah, Leo, Marie, Arthur Ariel, Küde, Moni, Emily, Martina, Beni, Söne, Smi, Lea …