Jason DeMarte

Confected examines the cultural desire to idealize the natural world. The veneer of material desire and constructed natural beauty is explored by creating fictional tableaus to speak about a state of disenchantment. By creating scenes that are controlled and composed, the work speaks to a cultural obsession with beauty,perfection, and indulgence. Examining how these material desires are applied to the natural world, the work metaphorically explores this interplay of contrived and natural. By “improving” the natural elements with lighting and photography, the objects – once found in nature – are treated more like commercial goods. The compositions are carefully arranged, and then “sweetened” with candies, syrup and brightly colored products to indulge the senses, further reflecting our elusive attention and admiration in a culture that inevitably desires more. Creating the work involves collecting and purchasing plants as well as commercial products which are artificially lit and photographed with a high definition camera. Compositions are then sketched out and elements are manipulated in Photoshop, where they are eventually collaged into a single scene. The images are output as large format archival inkjet prints.