The artwork, titled “Small Island,” was created by Dieter Roth in 1968 and belongs to the Neo-Dada movement. This piece is an installation that exemplifies Roth’s avant-garde approach to art, blending everyday materials and unconventional techniques to create a thought-provoking visual experience.
In this installation, Roth has constructed a miniature, abstract representation of an island within a transparent rectangular box. The central structure appears to be composed of decomposing organic material, forming an irregular mound that evokes a sense of decay and transience. Surrounding this central form, the surface is marked by an array of colors and textures, suggesting the presence of water or diverse landforms. The composition challenges traditional notions of beauty by presenting a landscape in a state of disintegration, embodying the Neo-Dadaist ethos of subverting conventional artistic values and embracing the impermanent and the ephemeral in art.
