Plates II

Plates II is a continuation of my previous project, Plates (Magical Garden), which delved into the themes of overconsumption and humanity’s insatiable appetite for everything nature offers—from plants to animals. In today’s world, it seems that everything can be consumed, devoured, and discarded, because as humans, we often act as if we are entitled to everything—believing we are the greatest, the most powerful, and therefore capable of consuming without limits.

In Plates II, I push this narrative further by presenting six photographs of ready-made meals purchased from a supermarket. These meals, however, were not simply photographed in their pristine, edible state. Instead, I buried them in the earth for eight months to see how nature would respond to these modern, processed meals. After this period, the outcomes varied—some of the food was entirely decomposed and returned to the earth, while others left behind traces of plastic packaging. These remnants serve as a stark reminder of the lasting impact of our consumption habits.

In our fast-paced lives, we rely on pre-packaged, supposedly “healthy” meals, consuming them quickly three times a day, six days a week. Yet, eight months later, the evidence of this consumption lingers in the soil. Does this make us pause? Can we, as consumers, make a difference? Can we change the way we consume? Must we always buy our food wrapped in plastic? These are the questions that haunted me throughout the creative process, and to many of them, I still don’t have answers.

I know that forgetting my reusable shopping bag won’t change the world, but as an individual, I see the trace I’ve left on the earth through these images. What comes next? Can we reconsider our relationship with convenience and consumption, or will we continue to leave our mark in the form of plastic that outlasts the food it contains?

Plates II invites the viewer to reflect on these questions and to contemplate the broader implications of our everyday choices.