Detergents/Cleaners

My art practice is focused on the critical examination and evaluation of my role in contemporary American culture. I recently moved to the U.S. and began a fascinating journey through the alien world of big-box stores, shopping malls and supermarkets. I am drawn to interpreting the mania of shopping and the ‘western consumerist culture’ I’ve experienced since moving to the U.S. Images captured from my daily rounds at the supermarket are the starting point of my work. I take casual photos of thousands of products neatly lined up on display. I am also intrigued by the flood of catalogues that arrive weekly in the mail. Captivated by fashion, I scour magazines for the latest trends and take note of what people are wearing on the streets or at night clubs. I tour stores, on a mission to discover the newest obsessions. Thus my feelings about consumerism are in conflict. I am pulled by it, like most people, but also wary of such a powerful lure. Consumerist culture offers a vision of comfort and security that makes me feel at home, and yet disconnected from home. It is this very disjunction between utopian promises and reality that inspires me.