Criminal Milieu

Criminal Milieu is a crocheted balaclava. Semantically and semiotically, the work engages with the term “milieu” both as a tablecloth and as one’s social environment, as well as with the phrase “criminal milieu,” as a criminal organizational structure.

The balaclava is worn by individuals on both sides of the law: some criminalized, others perpetuating violence without consequences. Freed from its function of hiding one’s identity, the balaclava is transformed into an art object.

It operates as a universal symbol of criminal activity, testifying to its inevitable existence both inside and outside governmental systems.