A performative installation about working conditions, adolescence and longing.

I wanted to make transparent how small the effort was that I could put into producing art as a mother in 2021. I could not create a large, steady piece. What was possible for me was to show a procedure that I usually do at home with my child: I make popcorn for us two.

A second layer of the work came from the theme of the group show called Verpuppungen (cocoons) which was meant as a metaphor for adolescence and metamorphosis: The taste and smell of popcorn remind me of my teenage years.

The third aspect in Want / Let Go is longing. Longing is a constant feeling you have while being adolescent. Longing is a feeling I often had during the pandemic. Longing for something, for more. And then let go, realizing the impossibility to fulfill those desires.

In the evenings I sat in the gallery’s window and made sweet or salty popcorn. The smell filled the room and visitors could choose a bag of popcorn to take home with them.