Maria Nalbantova
Disposable Care, 2025 - 2026
photo by Maria Nalbantova

Handle with Care, 2025 - 2026

Installation
Various dimensions
Porcelain, metal pipes
Part of the exhibition “Memento Mori”
curated by Martina Gelsinger
Ursulinenkirche Linz, Austria
Photos by Magdalena Berger

18 February - 3 April 2026

One of the most common daily rituals around the world is the washing of the hands and body, followed by the simple act of drying with a towel. Beneath this ordinary gesture lies a structure of care, care for oneself and care enacted by others. It is a gesture built on trust, yet the labor that sustains it often remains unseen.

In contemporary contexts, the white towel has become a symbol of comfort and hospitality, of spaces where renewal appears effortless and continuous. The white towel embodies cleanliness, safety, and reassurance, but it also points to the invisible systems of maintenance and attention that make such reassurance possible.

In “Disposable Care”, porcelain sculptural objects take the form of white towels in a frozen state. Their apparent softness is solidified, holding the subtle trace of a body. They reveal a tension between use and purity, intimacy and anonymity. By fixing a fleeting moment of contact, the works make visible what is usually overlooked: the fragile, often invisible act of care embedded in trust and support.