CECI N'EST PAS...
......A SELF-PORTRAIT. PINK (cassava) /BROWN (coffee) / BLACK (charcoal) / WHITE (Nestlé strawberry milk). An artwork against wrong labelling resulting from surface colour and the resulting human inequality, poverty, combined with a protest to unnecessary unequal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation with food.
dated 2017 until 2017
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CECI N'EST PAS.........
2017
“PINK” is cassava flour / “BROWN” is grounded Malawian coffee / “BLACK” is charcoal dust / “WHITE” is Nestlé strawberry milk power.
An artwork on surface colour to protest against human inequality experienced world-wide, poverty (for the enrichment of a few (mostly by the western white man), combined with a protest to unnecessary un-equal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation (sugar, salt and grease as addictive additives) with food.
'What you see, is not what you read' and this is a way to express the concern of 'wrong labelling' and 'wrong naming' and totally wrong using (from the artist point of view mainly done by the western white society). The way how this was / is used to make different classes or mark different population groups is even more sickening. These classes / groups where (wrongly) used to respond differently towards different population groups whereas we are all human and we are all equal.
"BROWN"
2017
'BROWN'
Charcoal (sustainable charcoal by Kawandama hills plantation) dust (no artificial colours) on canvas (wood glue and varnish spray-paint).
75cm x 44,5cm x 3cm
Together with BLACK, WHITE and PINK this will formed into an installation.
An artwork on surface colour combined with a protest to unnecessary un-equal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation with food.
Charcoal is in this 'series of work' because it is 'overused' in Malawi for cooking (probably as result of deep poverty) and leads to further deforestation (together with brick burning) as farming did the first large stretch of deforestation and still does.
Using charcoal dust as an art material is not necessary spoiling a heating resource, but transforming an important material into an artwork which meaning would not be there if another material would be used.
"PINK"
2017
"PINK"
Cassava powder wood glue paint on canvas (wood glue and varnish spraypaint).
75cm x 44,5cm x 3cm.
Together with BLACK, BROWN and WHITE this will formed into an installation.
An artwork on surface colour, human inequality (rich/poor and discrimination), poverty (for the enrichment of a few), combined with a protest to unnecessary un-equal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation (sugar, salt and grease) as addictive additives) with food.
Cassava is in this serie of 4 "paintings" because it, in contrast to 'WHITE', represents one of the "original" staple foods in Malawi (and Zambia) before maize took over (and diversity, the staple food market and politics). Cassava represents tradition and maybe a look back to the older and maybe "better" days for some (farmers and poor people depending highly on this cheap staple food).
"BLACK"
2017
"BLACK"
Malawian grounded coffee (no artificial colours) on canvas (wood glue and varnish spraypaint).
75cm x 44,5cm x 3cm
Together with WHITE, BROWN and PINK this will formed into an installation.
An artwork on surface colour, human inequality (rich/poor and against discrimination), poverty (for the enrichment of a few), combined with a protest to unnecessary un-equal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation with food.
Malawian Coffee is used as a product to 'paint' with as coffee is a "luxurious" product and a product that stands for unfair payments to (a lot of) coffee farmers for the enrichment for a few dealers and some multinationals.
"PINK"
2017
"WHITE"
Nestlé Strawberry flavoured strawberry drink powder (no "artificial" colours, as stated on the label) on canvas (wood glue and varnish spraypaint),
75cm x 44,5cm x 3cm (the size which fit a 25kg Zambian / Malawian maizeflour bag).
An artwork on surface colour, human inequality (rich/poor and against discrimination), poverty (for the enrichment of a few), combined with a protest to unnecessary un-equal food distribution around the world and the unhealthy manipulation (sugar, salt and grease) as addictive additives) with food.
Using almost 1kg of this Nestlé powder as an art material is not necesary spoiling food, but transforming an important material into an artwork which meaning would not be there if an other material would be used. Though using food items in one of the poorest countries of the world feels ambiguous, but the feeling I have to do this and that it is rightful (and in a respectful manner) to do so is stronger.
Using a food item from Nestle, the role of the 10 main food multinationals (Nestlé / Unilever / Kraft-Heinz / Coca-Cola / Pepsico / Kellogg's / Johnson&Johnson / P&G / Mars / General Mills) in this inequality, is Incorporated.