De slechtste 1-Euro winkel van de wereld (The World’s Worst 1-Euro Store) (2009)
Over 50 hand-selected/modified/ruined objects and signage, installed at Baracca, Den Haag, Holland, February 2009 + Galerie als openbare ruimte/Youman Mobile Art Unit, Dordrecht, Holland, March 2009
from the exhibition text: (please note TrillHaus and ellO gallery both do not exist anymore but did
at the time of the exhibition)
As the currency known as the euro celebrates it’s 10th anniversary, the New Hampshire, United
States based duo of artists John Fanning and Glenn DiLando (using the collective name TrillHaus)
explore how low people’s expectations are of what 1 euro is worth and also what the general public
considers is worth money in general. Since the euro has increased in value worldwide, the euro has
a certain “new cool” feeling to it as if it was the true currency of the future. Applying it to the cheapest
aspect possible brings the euro down to the very bottom/basic level.
“De schlechste 1 euro-winkel” consists of items that most people would rather just throw out. It is
truly supposed to be the worst “shop” possible, filled with items that the public more than likely
doesn’t want and certainly wouldn’t buy….. or would they? For TrillHaus (since they own a
gallery/shop combo where they have to be mindful of being able to appeal to the public to “sell”
certain items) this is a way to create the shop they’ve always wanted, the most pointless example
of consumerist tendencies that will make people question why they consume or throw-out items.
The public was also encouraged to shoplift from the shop.