Warning out of joy I

Warning out of joy I is one of a series of installations in which Kafka uses traffic cones. This appropriation of signalising and other functional objects is characteristic of his work, which recontextualises them by multiplying and exhibiting them in new locations. What results is a minimalistic but visually rich landscape completing the new environment in which they are set. Warning out of joy I comprises 3,000 traffic cones installed in the courtyard of the South London Gallery creating an almost op-art spatial constellation. Everyday items are poeticised and the viewer focuses on their aesthetic qualities. For Kafka, who is one of the leading proponents of installation art, this motif is fundamental and pervades his entire oeuvre.