Concept: surrealist kitchen still life where the white lines delineate the present and the future
"I can't believe it's not butter!"...except it's chocolate as the production of caocao beans is threatened by the warming temperatures of climate change.
There is no miracle "cure" to keep us forever young and healthy...Ozempic and protein powders today, who knows what it'll be tomorrow?
The only nature we see in the future is in this terrarium, to represent the natural landscape we neglected and destroyed. Like a snow globe, we reminisce on the past, full of greenery and wildlife.
This bookshelf is focused on DNA/the past/de-extinction. I played on Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" and retitled this version "On the Extinction of Species." Other title snippets include: the CRISPR Generation, Rise of the Necrofauna, clones, resurrection science, and How to Play God.
Self-medication will probably increase, complete with a cocktail of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, and whatever else.
Dystopian Kitchen
Acrylic paint on paper bag
37x27.5 in.
The idea for this painting was conceived in January when a dozen of eggs costed $14. I wondered about what it would be like in the future if there were no eggs and everyone was taking supplemental artificial proteins from egg-shaped capsules instead. I started entertaining this thought exercise to see how far I could go with this “dystopian kitchen still life.” I thought about the decline of nature as climate change continues to worsen; the reliance on AI/technology to encode memories; the fad of anti-aging supplements to chase eternal youth; the genetic modification of foods; and the increased reliance of the average individual on medications such as anti-depressants. This painting is intended to illustrate the present/future counterparts (ex. a house cat transforming into a robot pet or an artificially created “chocolate” bar replacing a Kit-Kat or air plants being documented in an extinct species book). This painting has been helping me to process our current pre-apocalyptic reality and to meditate on what future we want to claim for ourselves and the next generations.
