Midway through an interview with artist Magali Reus, a courier arrives at her London studio to deliver a package for her upcoming exhibition, "Swimming By Night," at the Perimeter gallery. The space is filled with sculptures in various stages of completion—some resembling giant fish hooks, others looking like oversized cupcake cases. These pieces are made from everyday, disposable items like pizza boxes and sardine tins, which Reus transforms into large, striking sculptures. Born in the Netherlands and now based in London, Reus has exhibited her work in galleries and institutions across Europe and the United States. Her sculptures often respond to the architecture and context of the spaces where they are displayed, such as the Kunstverein Freiburg in Germany and Kunsthalle Wien in Austria. Her art frequently addresses themes of overconsumption and the rapid disposal of objects that have served their original purpose. Reus aims to create a sense of both familiarity and strangeness in her work. She takes objects that are usually used briefly and then discarded and transforms them into something more durable and imposing. For example, her "Subs" series appears to be discarded pizza boxes but is actually constructed from aluminum, with edges meticulously ripped and hand-hammered. Inside these "boxes," she places images of discarded Christmas trees—objects that, like the boxes, have a brief but meaningful presence in people's lives. Reus gives these objects a sense of humanity, contrasting their typically disposable nature. By transforming materials—like sheet metal that is bashed into shape or multiple layers of paint applied to resin—she changes how people relate to the objects or the images they contain. Her goal is to grant these objects "autonomy," allowing them to occupy a new space and serve a purpose beyond their original function. These objects become "active agents" rather than passive things to be manipulated or discarded. At the center of her work "Rig (All Eyes On)" is a blown-up candy heart with the words "Let’s Hang" emblazoned across it. In its usual form, this object would be small and fleeting, dissolving on the tongue. Reus wants these objects to "refuse to serve us" and instead establish their own parameters. She notes that people often overlook the fact that her pizza boxes are made from aluminum rather than cardboard. Reus prefers to listen to and allow the material to dictate how things come together. Her work encourages viewers to slow down and reimagine the world around them.