Foie Gras is inspired by The threatened Swan (De bedreigde zwaan) by Jan Asseleijn. The swan symbolises strong female energy for me: vulnerability, but also resilience.
While sketching the shape of the swan, I realised that its main body ressembled the form of a liver, which reminded me of the French spread foie gras (fatty liver) which is made by ramming pipes down the throats of male ducks or geese several times a day, pumping grain and fat into their stomachs, in a process known as “gavage.” In a way, it is an abstraction of the animal, just like my painting.
I find that too often these ancient food processing methods are not talked about when presenting the finished product. Instead, people experience foods like Foie Gras as a luxury item that one can find in gift baskets. I decided to use primary colours, thick lines and cartoon arrows and shapes to symbolise this trivialisation.
Environmentalism and animal rights have been a recurring theme in my body of work as they are matters close to my heart. With my art, I would like to raise awareness and change perspectives.