wenn sie kein brot haben, sollen sie süßigkeiten essen

2023, photoseries

The project wenn sie kein brot haben, sollen sie süßigkeiten essen (if they have no bread, let them eat sweets) is a photo project that aims to visualise the concept of decadence (French décadence "decline", "decay"). The famous quote that is said to have been said by Marie-Antoinette von Österreich-Lothringen (but never actually said by her) is meant to express the spirit of oversized luxury. The project uses sweets as a symbol to make a subtle critique of a society where materialism and abundance are commonplace. What impact do materialism, waste and a culture of overconsumption have on our society? Is this lifestyle equally available to everybody or do only few people live in abundance and luxury (as in times of the French Revolution in 1789)?

The photos show three women wearing jewellery made of various sweets such as sherbet powder, liquorice snacks and sugar pearls. The blurred line between jewellery and sweets reflects the analogy between the luxury of jewellery and the transience of sweets.