By Mirabel Finch
Ephraim Velour, the avant-garde darling of the post-minimalist-near-maximalist movement, has stunned the art world yet again. Known for his provocative installations, such as “The Tedium of Eggs” (12,000 eggs painstakingly arranged by best-before date) and “Oxygen: A Manifesto” (an empty room with fans blowing intermittently to symbolise “breath privilege”), Velour has announced an audacious new area of focus: Conceptual Laundry.
In this bold new phase of his career, Velour seeks to explore the hidden poetics of laundering clothing, a process he describes as “the purification of identity, spun at 1,200 revolutions per minute.”
A Statement from the Artist
Speaking from his studio (a converted laundromat in an industrial part of Berlin), Velour explained the inspiration behind this new direction:
“We all wear clothes, but who among us considers the journey of those clothes? Laundry is an ancient ritual—a cyclical erasure and rebirth of sweat, sorrow, and spaghetti sauce. To cleanse a garment is to erase its memory, to obliterate its history. My work will interrogate the violence of this act while celebrating its necessity.”
The Work
Velour’s initial works in this genre promise to be as profound as his earlier output. Highlights include:
• “Spin Cycle: A Study in Oblivion”: A 45-minute video piece in which a vintage washing machine is filmed from inside the drum, offering a hypnotic meditation on motion, chaos, and the fleeting nature of soap bubbles.
• “Lint: A Soft Archive”: A tactile installation composed entirely of lint gathered from dryers around the world, organized by texture, color, and emotional residue.
• “Detergent Triptych”: A performance piece where Velour drinks shots of organic, lavender-infused “laundry detergent” (actually a non-toxic coffee-based liqueur) while reciting poetry about stain removal and existential dread.
• “Sock Soliloquy”: A conceptual sculpture made entirely of socks found in laundromats, arranged to resemble a shattered rainbow.
A New Medium, a Familiar Approach
While some might see this pivot as a new direction for the artist, those familiar with Velour’s oeuvre will recognize his signature themes of futility, repetition, and absurdity. “Laundry is an inherently Sisyphean task,” Velour explains. “You think it’s done, but it’s never done. Isn’t that the essence of life itself?”
Critics are already divided. Renowned art critic Giles Throckmorton called the announcement “a revelation,” adding, “Velour has elevated the mundane into the metaphysical. He is the Da Vinci of detergent.” Meanwhile, a less enthusiastic review in Post-Art Journal labeled the work “wet and over-agitated.”
The Impact
The buzz around Velour’s new work has already reached fever pitch, with collectors clamoring for early access to his pieces. A private auction of his lint sculptures reportedly caused a bidding war in Zurich, with one piece, “Greyness #4 (Clean but Sad),” selling for $250,000.
Fashion designers are also taking note, with whispers that a capsule collection inspired by Velour’s “Laundry Aesthetics” is in the works, featuring garments that are “pre-laundered” to perfection.
What’s Next?
Velour has big plans for the future, including a touring exhibition titled “Delicates Only: The Untold Stories of Laundry”, set to debut at the Billingsgate Contemporary before traveling to Tokyo and New York.
He also plans to publish a companion book, “Tumble Dry Philosophy: Essays on the Art of Erasure,” which will be printed on fabric instead of paper for “maximum tactile engagement.”
When asked if he feels this new chapter might alienate fans of his earlier work, Velour is nonchalant. “True art should alienate,” he says, smoothing a crease in his linen shirt. “Otherwise, it’s just décor.”