Titled, ‘The last taboo.’ This work explores both cannibalism as the last polimicle topic in the modern day and the massive impact the media has had on a generation. Focusing on main triggers such as lockdown, the need for intense immersion into taboo topics such as cannibalism is the central antithesis.
The piece plays with the idea of the body. It is created entirely out of bread, and is anatomically correct to my own body. Bread is used to convey the return to traditionalism. As a result of the rejection of mass media use, many turned to traditional pastimes such as baking to feel secure, for this reason I have chosen bread as my material to create the sculpture.
The taboo of cannibalism is reflected widely and vastly in the media often as an allegory for relationships or consumerism, as a response to huge anxieties of my generation which cause us to seek comfort in the media, however this comfort is often found in harsher content which we become desensitised to as we consume more.
In the work I am both participating in and highlighting the need for exciting and taboo art and media to keep us interested and secure. The body, made of bread, is an allegory for ‘body of Christ’ and intense cheap consumption. Taking on the form of something controversial; in this case a human body. In setting a place at the table for myself, I am referencing the need to consume media. This often feels like we are devouring each other and ourselves.
A body made entirely out of bread, measured exactly to the measurements of the artist. A table setting is laid for the artist as well marking the perfect place to consume the body.