Madison Rudin

Thirst Trap

This painting is the first painting of my thesis body of work titled "Fridges, Shelves, and Shit (From Florence to Florida). This painting was completed during my semester abroad in the OCAD University Florence program and speaks on the universality of "brand monsters" like Coke.

“Since I can remember I have been entranced by grocery stores and the overwhelming amount of visual stimulation they provide. In my work I bring my love affair of the grocery store into paint.My work explores behavioural economics and its targeted use of visual elements such as colour, shape, and style, and its impact on the consumer; using examples like Trader Joes to understand how design impacts the buying behaviour, loyalty, and personal expression prevalent in consumer culture. The impact of studying in Florence pushed me into an unexpected body of work that investigates personal nostalgia, while investigating how behavioural economics impacts my personal consumer choices. With my work I recontextualize the market stall paintings of the Renaissance into the modern age of mass consumerism. I enjoy capturing these mass produced, quickly consumed products but taking time as well as care to reproduce them in paint. I find myself intrigued by objects ingrained in typical American life. I aim to subvert advertising by removing brand names/logos from labels in hopes to echo how these companies use behavioural economics to create a recognizable brand aesthetic.This body of work feeds me literally and figuratively!”