Pierre Lionel Matte

Black / White

Painted wood, coconut and text. 1999


Two halves of the same coconut is mounted on a piece of wooden panelling. The coconut on the black painted part is experienced as lighter in its colour nuance and the text underneath describes the nut’s positive properties, for cooking. The other half mounted on the natural wooden background, looks darker and the text focuses on the negative properties. The same object gets a different description depending on the context. Here the context is an optical phenomenon.
Inspired by US anti-Japanese propaganda posters during the World War II.

The text on the black painted wood;

Nutritious and tasty!

A protective shell with a fine layer of thin threads enables long-term storage. Useful in many tasty and traditional exotic dishes. Fresh, mild fruit juice that is excellent as a soft drink. The juicy and white pure pulp brings vitamins and aromas of sun from lush latitudes. Warm brown natural color.

The text on the un-painted wood;

High in fat with unusual taste!

The rough shell is surrounded by an uneven stiff bristle that easily gives sore hands. Can be used in foreign dishes from distant parts of the world. Muddy, milk-like liquid with a slightly sweet and unpleasant taste. Short shelf life .The pale fruit mass is firmly attached to the shell and consists essentially of fat. Rancid fast, dull, dirty brown color.