Philip Ortelli

Created during the residency in Shanghai, this sculpture transforms everyday objects into a hyperreal tableau of light and critique. Using baby night lights and materials from China’s vast digital marketplace, the piece critiques the commodification of care and the simulation of human warmth.

The glowing stars and crescent moons evoke childhood memories, while synthetic flowers hint at a fragile balance between the natural and the artificial. Baby night lights, designed to provide a sense of safety and orientation in the dark, here take on a poetic resonance, illuminating a speculative place where objects seem to provide care, connection and warmth. Rooted in Ortelli’s practice of blending archival inquiry with artistic production, the sculpture reimagines Shanghai as both a physical and digital arena where histories, identities, and technologies converge.