Objects bring us luck. Not all of them, but the small trinkets we attach to bracelets, necklaces, key rings, or Crocs can charm our lives if we believe. Known primarily for her ceramic footwear, Didi Rojas’s latest series of sculptures at Hashimoto Contemporary explores the role of good luck charms in our lives: how they protect us, illuminate our values, and what message they project into the world. A collection of ceramic shoes, charms, and small “paintings” made of shoelaces woven over canvas, Good Luck Charm asks us not only if we believe, but who we declare ourselves to be when we do.
“We decide what to put importance to around us,” writes the artist, “and decide why we feel connected to certain objects.” What a charm represents—a Smiley face, dice, a plastic cherry—does not always determine its spiritual worth. Drawing parallels to extremely feminine shoes, charms are generally non- functional, meaning their power comes from the emotions surrounding them: the aesthetic messages they project into the world and the memories they keep safe. From stereotypes spread through consumer culture and consumers to the gendered aspect of non-functional footwear, Rojas’s charms and the shoes that wear them are characters inspired by people encountered in public: in the street, on the subway; at work, at the bar. These quirky, delicate objects offer to charm our lives as little talismans reflective of the equally delicate world.
Good Luck Charm opens on Saturday, June 29th with a reception from 6-8 pm.
