Ben Jackel, Darkstar

2016

In this sleek sculpture of a drone, Jackel has muted the violent potential of this technology and placed it within a non-threatening context. The drone’s transformation from a tool of destruction to an aestheticized art object makes its presence suggestively haunting. Its hand-polished surface reminds the viewer that, much like the weapon it is modeled after, these are not impersonal sterile entities, but rather, products of individual creation and touch.