Consumed

Consumed examines the intersection of capitalism, consumerism, and throwaway culture through the lens of commercial food photography. In an era where high gloss advertising compels us to indulge, I seek to unravel the tension between desire, consumption, and waste. By employing the seductive aesthetics of commercial imagery, my work invites viewers to confront their emotional connection to food beyond sustenance, questioning how visual culture perpetuates cycles of excess and waste.

Presented as a series of triptychs, each set follows a structured narrative: the glamour of food advertising (capitalism), the act of indulgence (consumerism), and the aftermath (throwaway culture). These high-production, hyper-stylized images mirror the techniques used in food marketing such as vibrant colours, exaggerated compositions, and dramatic lighting, to provoke both attraction and unease. Pizza boxes stacked against yellow lockers, a greasy burger clutched mid-bite, untouched wings left to spoil; these images expose the nature of overconsumption while hinting at its wasteful consequences. By blurring the line between aspiration and critique, my work challenges viewers to reconsider the unseen costs of our habits. In doing so, I hope to spark dialogue about our consumption patterns—how advertising shapes our desires, how indulgence can lead to excess, and ultimately, how our throwaway culture impacts our environment.

Consumed was born out of a personal and political unease with the way food is visualized, marketed, and ultimately wasted in contemporary culture. As a visual storyteller working within the aesthetics of commercial photography, I have often been drawn to the seductive power of the image, and how something as ordinary as a burger or soda can be transformed into an object of desire. This fascination gradually evolved into a critique: what happens when visual pleasure masks social harm? What are we really being sold, and at what cost?