Mortadella: Three Vienna-Based Artists Fuse Sculpture and Irony in Rome

At Operativa gallery in Rome, three artists from Vienna—Karoline Dausien (b. 1986, Bremen), Joakim Martinussen (b. 1984, Tromsø), and Thea Moeller (b. 1985, Hanover)—have collaborated on a group exhibition titled 'Mortadella.' The show, co-produced by Vienna's Vin Vin gallery, brings together diverse materials and techniques in a sculptural exploration of recycling and everyday objects. Leather, plastics, fabrics, and engraved drawings on various supports are combined with an ironic, absurdist twist that subverts the primary function of objects, giving them new life. The title references mortadella, a sausage made from multiple meats ground in three stages, mirroring the fusion of the three artists' practices. The exhibition highlights contemporary sculptural research dedicated to material reuse and the elevation of common items through crude gestures and humor.