Souveniers of Consumption
ARTIST STATEMENT
In this series, Souvenirs of Consumption, I explore the paradox of our relationship with the natural world and the unseen legacy of human leisure. The Adriatic's rocky coastline, celebrated for its pristine beauty, is here reframed as a repository of our unwanted memories. Our presence is fleeting, and we often seek a keepsake or souvenir to capture the joy of a vacation. But what we leave behind—our trash—is perhaps the most honest souvenir of all: a lasting record of our passing.
Through constructed still lifes, I formalise this dialogue, arranging found detritus, such as a discarded plastic bottle, a forgotten shoe, or a single-use bag found on the shores of Korčula Island, alongside decaying organic matter. This visual juxtaposition reveals a silent tragedy: the fleeting impermanence of nature’s cycle set against the stubborn permanence of our material culture. Ultimately, Souvenirs of Consumption transforms the grotesque into the sublime, confronting the viewer with the ecological footprint of human activity. The series serves as a quiet call to reflection on the persistent, often unseen traces left behind long after the pleasant memories have receded.
