This project explores the ethics of consumption, and its effect on the environment and our mental well-being.
Familiar with the irrational feeling of wanting to buy something that she doesn't need, artist Tanya Sharapova began to analyse these urges through her work. Using collages as her medium, she mixes supermarket catalogues with archival photos sourced from flea markets in Berlin.
The contrasting of historical materials with marketing spam allows a stark comparison between past and present attitudes towards consumption. The flea market photos are through the lens of a reality that cannot be forged, while the catalogues distinctly link the possession of material goods with the false promise of success and happiness.
Together they create absurd universes in which products of globalization are used to create surreal objects and the body parts of heros from a forgotten era. Traditional quality and value is being built upon the desire for things to be faster, cheaper, and larger in quantity. The chaos induced by this indicates how disruptive it is to us mentally, and also to the biosphere which is under increasing risk.
Awards ans Exhibitions
OpenWalls Arles 2021, winner
OpenWalls Arles 2021 - Then & Now, Galerie Huit Arles