Decomposition of Decomposition is the artist take on the ‘still-life’, the original photograph of the compost was from 2010 and included the waste from the artists family.
In response to “still life fatigue” and loathing for painting perfect images of false realities, Loren Dann began painting the daily deterioration of her compost pile in 2010. She forged a different perspective for what most would normally call “gross” or “disgusting” and exploited the beauty that can be found in ROT.
In 2023, Loren explored this idea by turning to fresh fruit and vegetables as her subjects and documenting their decline from being “just picked” to desiccating, deteriorating, or rotting away to nothing.
As the works progressed, similarities formed in the effects of rot on vegetation and the effects of trauma on humans. From neglect to roots of abuse, the results of human suffering can make us feel as damaged as rotting fruit, even though our wounds may not be visible to the rest of the world. And just as damage to a fruit tree or vegetable plant can cause altered fruit and seed for future generations, so can generational trauma in humans create an unwanted legacy of ROT.
Rotten Eggs, Bad Egg, describe the subject of the painting but also the artist. Name-calling is a trauma almost all children undergo. This creates cracks in us that deteriorate the more they are wounded. Shattered eggs, watching and painting creates the artists daily practice. Waiting for the deterioration of the traumatized food daily, you have to look at the subject under closer inspection, to be sure you are not painting it the same way each time. As the artist grows and changes painting the same is impossible “we do not paint the same because we are not the same”.persimmons after trauma beginning decomposition. “this is the day” beginning the year with all positive mantras.Bad Apple: Focus on the light at the top. Daily practice watching the apples decompose while listening to books. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace was in my ears during this study of the early apple decomposition.
