"Eat The Rich"

Eat the Rich is a series of hand-built clay sculptures, painted with gold lead paint to create the illusion of metal and opulence. The work was exhibited at the Russell-Cotes Museum in Bournemouth, in direct response to the legacy of the collector who built the house and its collection.

The series reflects on the excess and material consumption associated with the museum’s founder, whose passion for travel and acquisition resulted in the accumulation of cultural artefacts often removed from their original context and displayed as symbols of wealth and status. Many of the objects within the house now show signs of decay, and this sense of deterioration became a central influence in the work.

The sculptures replicate selected objects from the collection, but they are altered, fragmented and arranged as if consumed. Presented on plates and platters and pierced with cutlery, the works transform decorative objects into edible remains. This staging acts as a metaphor for consumption — not only of objects, but of culture, identity and history.

Installed in the Morning Room, the space traditionally used for dining, the sculptures occupy the place of food. The arrangement evokes a ghostly scene of indulgence and decay, satirically referencing the phrase “eat the rich.” The work critiques class, collecting, and the social performance of wealth, suggesting a cycle of consumption in which objects, meaning, and power are slowly devoured.