Baronian gallery is pleased to host the first solo exhibition of the Belgian-Spanish artist Olivia Hernaïz, born in 1985, in Brussels. With a series of new works, the exhibition Please hold the line suggests a derisive re-reading of certain societal paradoxes, notably addressing questions of ecology, consumerism and the race to technological development. Olivia Hernaïz’s work is based on dialogue and narrative. Through participatory works, often humorous, the artist invites us to reflect on the fictions on which our Western societies are built, such as politics, money and language. Please hold the line is built around the concept of ‘solastalgia’, a neologism derived from the contraction of the terms solace and nostalgia, which is defined as a loss of the comfort one usually finds in one’s immediate environment – that soothing feeling of being ‘at home’. By questioning this contemporary problem, Olivia Hernaïz diverts it and uses it as an object of criticism against the current system. Through a judicious choice of media – diorama, audio recording, video, prints on an office chair, silkscreen printing, marble engraving – she presents a mischievous look at these current societal themes. With humour and finesse, her works invite discussion. So, please hold the line.