Tumeric and Achiote

Juanilama, Costa Rica | June 2019

These spices not only flavor our food but also create rich pigments. Color, flavor and aroma that were taken from far and wide and brought back to Europe are the inspiration and foundation of this work.

In this body of work I explore the effects of colonialism, globalized labor, exploitation still felt today. After a residency in my native Costa Rica—I experimented with creating my own inks and pigments out of edible roots, vegetables and seeds—I incorporated both hand made pigments, commercial inks and acrylic paint. Images are based on photographs of natural materials historically used in the production of pigment, mass produced garments and the natural pigments them selves.

The history of globalization, exploitation and colonialism wrapped into pungent colorful seeds and root!