Christophe Muylaert

Press for Existential Relief is a sculptural installation consisting of a red toggle switch encased in clear epoxy resin, mounted on a white 3D printed pedestal. A brass plaque beneath the object reads: “Press for Existential Relief.”

The work stages a tension between promise and impossibility. The viewer is instructed to perform an action that cannot be realized. The inscription suggests an instant remedy for existential dread, yet the resin denies any possibility of activation.

The installation confronts the absurdity of seeking technical or simplistic solutions to existential anguish. The fear of meaninglessness and nothingness cannot be solved by pushing a button, nor by any mechanical or rational means. The piece oscillates between irony and gravity, exposing the human craving for relief and meaning as a frustrated but inextinguishable drive.