Quitting Smoking Might Be Easier

In the photo installation Quitting smoking might be easier I address the longing for eternal youth. The photo series shows a number of facial treatments to nourish and maintain youthful skin, such as the application of snail slime and leeches as well as doing a headstand. The imagery refers to advertising motifs both visually and in terms of content. At the same time, I distance myself from the cited commercial aesthetics by smoking a cigarette in each of the performative self-portraits – the anti-thesis of anti-aging par excellence. In the words „I should not care about beauty standards,“ written down mantra-like repeatedly on a large-format canvas, a further distancing from the supposed affirmation of the cult of beauty becomes apparent.