Gelatin’s installation is a three-meter-tall, flesh-colored, cheerful figure that oscillates between a balancing act and a performance. Perched on a visitor’s bench, the plush figure appears to be barely maintaining its balance in an acrobatic pose. This fragile moment—emphasized by strategically placed Christmas ornaments at critical points—reflects the pre-Christmas interplay of anticipation, stress, and excitement. A familiar scene: Even before the gift-giving begins, there’s a need to “juggle many balls in the air” and “cut a fine figure.”

Gelatin describes the work as “a balance between gesture and gymnastics. A self-staging of risk, celebration, and joy set against the backdrop of romantic precariousness.” This subversive and humorous reflection strikes a social chord and fits seamlessly into the series of works that artistically reimagines the Christmas tree each year—far removed from consumerism, kitsch, and routine.