Suppertime (2019)

Materials: Cardboard, foam, plaster, tempera paint, glue, tape, wood
Dimensions: 10’ x 6’ x 10’

Suppertime explores the underlying tensions at a refined family dinner. The conduct is inelegant, though the mountains of appetizing cardboard food and expensive cutlery suggest that the guests should be having an excellent time. Rather than conceal their emotions for the sake of politeness, the figures are at each others’ throats. The lavish food may look appealing, but it is made of and propped up with shoddy construction and cardboard. The feast is tasteless and the precarious materials used to construct the guests, food, and furniture are in various states of decay. I am interested in how people come together over food, and what emotional baggage we might drop before sitting at the table in the name of politeness. The facade of an opulent, multi-course meal dissolves as the guests agree to be honest with one another and reveal their true emotions. The empty seat invites the audience to participate by sitting at eye level with the other guests.