Hand signed and numbered limited edition Ilford giclee print, 1 of 30 , archival ink on 300 gsm artist's paper, 25 x 20 cm
The genesis of this series draws from the fantastical realm known as Cockaigne, a concept that first emerged in European songs and poems around 1300 AD. In Cockaigne, a land of limitless abundance, every indulgence and gluttonous pleasure imaginable was within reach, with "rivers of wine, houses constructed of cake and barley sugar, streets paved with pastry, and cheese raining from the sky." In this utopia, sloth and lust were celebrated as virtues, and the toil of peasant life was nonexistent.
The imagery I incorporated into these collages comprises elements from advertisements and photos I captured that evoked a yearning for a bountiful earthly paradise, as well as its manifestation in contemporary daily life. These elements include American-style fast food, colossal cruise ships, massive shopping malls, and children's breakfast cereals. I found the advent of advertising and marketing companies particularly intriguing, as they employ tactics such as 'color psychology' to exploit our desires and needs, often leading us to place value on superficial or even harmful things.
To create these collages, I meticulously cut and affixed the collage materials to the canvases using clear acrylic medium. Subsequently, I applied multiple layers of drawing and paint. These paintings serve as landscapes of an intangible realm, where the messages conveyed by advertising and marketing tap into our cravings for consumption without consequence, often blinding us to rational thinking.
