Relish the Lick

Abstract

Relish the Lick is a series of collages of human and animal bodies that explore the emotional frictions of interpersonal relationships that begin around the kitchen table. The images’ ambiguous narratives are revealed within the composition of the figures themselves, which are predominantly constructed of food imagery. This work calls into question how people physically and emotionally feed off each other. Archetypal relationships, hierarchies of power and vulnerability, beauty and the grotesque, as well as dinner and dessert play parts in this visual theater. Organized in nearly empty environments, providing the most minimal of contexts, these stories are anywhere and everywhere. This MFA thesis document discusses the images created for Relish the Lick and reflects on the artistic, cultural, and textual influences for this body of work.