Artist's note - November, 2017

My work deals with “positional goods” as a motif. I examine the phenomenon of modern day consumption, its meaning in the context of our society, and the paradox of affluence. A quintessential example of a positional good is a diamond. It is in essence a stone, but through the process of cutting, numerous cut dimensions radiate light. Combined, the stone presents a beauty of criss-crossing lights. Our satisfaction when we possess such a stone comes not purely from the absolute value of these lights, but from the status and concept attached to a diamond. Many of us would agree that an exhibitionist intent is tasteless, lacking a sense of discerning style. Yet, many of us are trapped in such exhibitionist tendencies. I pose this question: Are we not enlisted in this zero-sum game, competing in an endless game of consumption, withering away after a short-lived, flowery bloom, as shells devoid of substance? Knowing that the glitter of diamonds, and the affluence of material, can not put us on a superior footing against others, and can not deliver lasting happiness, leaving us with an emptiness behind glitter -- do we not live on, knowing all this, yet pretending that we don’t?