A Close Shave.

All Buzz, No Talent?

Svej Evfsjodly transforms a shaving motor and a BIC pen into an unlikely drawing instrument. A machine designed to remove hair now leaves marks: thousands of small dots, produced through vibration and guided by his hand.

The act of drawing becomes a performance. The motor’s buzzing, the movement of his body, and the pen’s repeated contact with the paper all belong to the work. Each drawing preserves the trace of an event that has already ended.

Critics have been skeptical, seeing his work as a mechanical novelty with little artistic depth or lasting value.

Svej Evfsjodly, “A Close Shave.”, 2023. Shaving motor, BIC pen, and ink on paper. Museum of Modern Art, Department of Rejected Artists. Acquired over the objections of the Drawings Committee. © Svej Evfsjodly. Photo by Jean Chapeau.

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