Hey, You! Yes, You! …

"- Hey, you! Yes, you! ..." does not seek to please the viewer, but rather to confront and discomfort them. The piece appropriates the Gothic aesthetic of gargoyles—grotesque figures designed to crown medieval cathedrals for apotropaic purposes (to ward off evil spirits)—and translates this symbolism into a contemporary context. In place of a stone monster, a resin-cast cat's head presides over a school bell that triggers and rings as soon as a viewer approaches.

While medieval gargoyles protected sacred spaces from external threats, modern institutions employ contemporary agents to serve a parallel function: ensuring strict compliance with established power structures. Echoing the industrial rhythms of factories and classrooms, the persistent chime of this bell does not ward off demons; instead, it signals the presence of an omnipresent regime.

The bell operates through subtle coercion rather than brute force. It masterfully persuades us that waking up at 6:00 AM, enduring eight-hour workdays, and relentlessly chasing societal milestones are acts of free will, rather than internalized mandates of the system.

The symbolism of the cat carries the conceptual weight of the piece. Within the classic dynamic of cat and mouse, the feline stands as the ultimate agent of order—the authority that monitors, controls, and manages the rodent. This personification is deliberate: within the curatorial space, the cat elevates itself above both the other artworks and the audience, acting as a sentinel that symbolically purifies and neutralizes any act of disorder.

Ultimately, the artwork embodies Louis Althusser’s concept of interpellation. Upon hearing the sudden, piercing ring, the viewer is subconsciously summoned back to order—conditioned to either begin or terminate an action, vividly recalling the disciplinary architectures of our school years.