“What I’m really interested in is the notion of complexity, the idea that there are no fixed roles and definitions. Everyone is forced to change roles every single moment of his life…No one should be able to tell if it’s an artwork or a critical and curatorial statement.”

Maurizio Cattelan’s Mini-me from 1999 is a quintessentially “Cattelan” object – self-referential, playful, loaded with emotional and psychological gravitas. Born in 1960 in Padua, Cattelan’s youth coincided with a time of political and social upheaval within Italy; this spirit of insurgence and the potential for change infuses the artist’s oeuvre, imbuing his works with a sense of rebellion against sociological, cultural and political norms. As a result, Cattelan’s individual installations can be interpreted not only as the work of a brilliantly provocative creative force whose work consistently challenges accepted boundaries and transcends the more familiar concepts of art history, but also as a profound examination of the definition of “normality” itself.

One of a number of self-portrait sculptures, Mini-me humorously depicts the artist at a fraction of his normal size. Taking his title from the character of the popular Austin Powers films, who manifests as a personified version of Dr. Evil’s id, Mini-me appears more as a reflection of Cattelan’s super-ego. Perched upon a ledge, peering down anxiously, Mini-me, in physical form, calls to mind that other famous miniaturized and personified super-ego character, Pinocchio’s Jiminy Cricket. Poking fun at his own penchant, pervasive throughout his oeuvre, for acerbic criticism of power structures and authority, Cattelan has crafted a unique surrogate for his typically brazen public persona. Exhibiting a coruscating and curiously subversive wit, Mini-me is a consummate example of Cattelan’s examination into the possibilities of self-portraiture.