Modern Implements Of Labour
Modern Implements Of Labour - stainless steel, plastic, acrylic. Size: 14 x 45 x 3 cm, 2010, Anton Terziev, Edition of 2+1AP. photo: Vasil Tanev
First edition is in private collection in the USA
Second edition is at Nikolai Nedelchev collection
Reconstruction of my object took part at NURTUREart exhibition- Brooklyn, NYC, 2011, curated by Eriola Pira and Chelsea Haines
Took part at my Modern Implements Of Labour solo exhibition at ICA, Sofia, 2012
Anton Terziev’s Modern Implements of Labour deftly bridges the worlds of utilitarian object and conceptual sculpture, presenting a saw that both seduces and unsettles. At first glance, the work appears deceptively simple—a common tool associated with craftsmanship, productivity, and tangible creation. Yet upon closer inspection, the vividly painted teeth and vibrant handle underscore the piece’s deeper thematic resonance: our contemporary fixation on speed, convenience, and instant gratification.
In this hybrid of the readymade tradition and modern critique, Terziev plays with the tension between functionality and spectacle. The saw becomes more than a mere implement of manual labor; it transforms into a symbolic device that “cuts deeper” into modern life. Its deliberately sharpened edges allude to the increasing efficiency and disposability of modern experiences, where tangible effort is often replaced by quick, easily digestible substitutes.
By endowing a simple tool with a heightened sense of urgency and irony, Terziev provokes reflection on how readily society reduces the fabric of life into bite-sized fragments for rapid consumption. Modern Implements of Labour thus stands as a succinct yet powerful reminder that our hunger for the instant can risk dulling our appreciation for genuine, hard-earned depth and understanding.
A bunch of curious objects related to my work which i found exhibited somewhere in the subway between Brookluyn and Manhattan, during my residency at ISCP, NYC, 2011