Still Life Photography Series
It is impossible to separate Image from Empire.
The still life genre evolved into a distinct and celebrated art form by the 17th century, when the Dutch Republic’s booming economy led to an increased demand for paintings that celebrated material abundance. The concept of Pronkstilleven (Dutch for "ostentatious still life") is deeply intertwined with the economic and imperial ambitions of the Dutch Republic, driven by The Dutch East India Company (VOC) and Dutch West India Company (WIC). Pronkstilleven style still life painting emerged during a period marked by vast colonial expansion and exploitation. These paintings not only showcased wealth and luxury but also reflected the global reach of Dutch imperial mercantilism and the material culture of Empire.
Dutch still life painters such as Pieter Claesz and Willem Kalf meticulously depicted luxurious imported goods, food, and flowers, often with moralizing undertones in Vanitas compositions. The Vanitas still-life tradition emerged in the Dutch Republic as a meditation on mortality, transience, and the fleeting nature of worldly possessions. Despite its moralizing undertones, Vanitas paintings were also displays of wealth, featuring luxury objects acquired through colonial trade.
Unlike Vanitas paintings, Ontbijtjes (Breakfast Pieces) were more celebratory in nature, depicting partially eaten meals and imported goods with exquisite detail. These paintings showcased the bounty of the Dutch Republic’s global trade, often featuring food and drink sourced from colonial territories. These still life paintings reflected the complex relationship between wealth, commerce, and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures in a rapidly globalizing world.
Fast forward to the 21st Century - globalization is positioned as a means of expanding markets and increasing economic efficiency. The world is interconnected via intricate webs of network communications, corporate advertisements, and geo-political spectacles. Commerce moves at rapid pace. Fast food and fast fashion products are delivered at the tap of a finger. Sex, of any nature, is curated and streamed, live on-demand. Capital flows and is accumulated, as Neoliberal policies encourage the removal of barriers to international trade and investment.
Much of what we consider our identity is associated in context with products we purchase, services we subscribe to, and content we produce and consume. But why do we relate personally with the products of the global market system? When, How, and Why was the concept of “identity” created? How is identity curated? How is identity performed? How is identity mediated through the production and circulation of images?
The following series explores these questions through the practice of still life photography.