During the time I made those two series, I was sick and food tasted awful to me. So, I set out to cook up hybrid foods that I could consume, or at the very least, I’d find visually exciting. A minimalist approach didn’t really make sense – I craved something bright and colourful. I wanted to tap into the realm of fantasy and create a sort of antidote to my reality.
I’ve read that minimalism is often only attainable to people who can afford that type of lifestyle. When you’re sick, it’s harder to organize your life to create that seamless, minimalist aesthetic. From a feminist point of view, it was important to me for my images to feel somewhat decadent or indulgent, instead of restrained.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with periods of art history with a maximalist style, like Rococo and Georgian era, art and fashion. Jewellery was frequently made to imitate the form of something else, like a column, star or flower. There was a high level of ornamentation, deception and secrecy in design. I find this kind of cross-pollination really exciting, where one thing is in a state of becoming another. I think this type of maximalism is conducive to a messy, imaginative and fertile space.