Flesh Commodity, 2024

“Flesh Commodity” stems from a deep, subconscious reaction to the unsettling reality portrayed in Agustina Bazterrica’s “Tender is the Flesh.” The novel, which imagines a world where human flesh becomes the ultimate commodity, left a profound impa...

“Flesh Commodity” stems from a deep, subconscious reaction to the unsettling reality portrayed in Agustina Bazterrica’s “Tender is the Flesh.” The novel, which imagines a world where human flesh becomes the ultimate commodity, left a profound impact on the artist, urging a reflection on society’s relationship with consumption, ethics, and survival. The piece features a vibrant slab of cow flesh—a potent symbol of the commodification of living beings—suspended from a gold leaf hook, a stark juxtaposition of luxury and mortality. The weight of the flesh hangs in fragile balance, echoing the novel’s themes of dehumanization and the fine line between survival and moral decay. The flesh, raw and exposed, confronts the viewer with the disturbing reality of its physicality, forcing us to question our own role in systems of consumption. Drawing on both the iconic imagery from Rocky’s relentless training in the freezer and the haunting narrative of Tender is the Flesh, the work reflects a world where the boundaries between what we consume and what we revere are increasingly blurred. The gold hook, with its connotations of value and luxury, becomes a haunting metaphor for the commodification of life—where even the most sacred and sentient can be reduced to a product, an object of consumption. “Flesh Commodity” is not an answer but an invitation to confront the discomfort we often push aside. It challenges the viewer to reflect on the ethics of consumption and the weight of flesh—both literal and metaphorical—as it hangs in suspended contemplation, awaiting our reckoning.