Polaroid Vanitas Series: Bad Habits Status Desire Impermanence by Beautiful Thrills

About "Polaroid Vanitas Series: Bad Habits Status Desire Impermanence"

by Beautiful Thrills

About the artwork

Addiction is a strange phenomenon. We often think about it in extreme terms, but isn't everyone addicted to some extent? To a person, a feeling, a substance or an object? In this work, I offer a contemporary interpretation of vanitas, captured in the recognisable frame of a Polaroid. The statement 'I'm just a good girl with bad habits' sets the tone: a light-hearted, almost playful approach to habits we sometimes mistake for addiction.

Well-known luxury brands such as Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton attract initial attention. They capture the imagination, giving a sense of desire and status. But as soon as the eye descends, it encounters the skull and the dead fish, symbols of impermanence, a reminder of the temporary nature of everything we attach ourselves to. The contrast between luxury and death creates friction, an uneasy realisation that behind the lure of material wealth lies something else.

Addiction fascinates me because it is a part of being human. Everyone recognises it in some way, be it desire for possession, affirmation, control or escape. This work plays with that recognition. It invites one to smile briefly at the playful aesthetics and luxury brands, only to linger on the underlying layer. Perhaps it evokes confusion, maybe even a hint of shame.

The collage is composed of carefully selected images, found in magazines and digitally brought together into a composition that balances colour and form. The neutral tones make the work accessible and minimalist, while the layering gives it a modern take on vanitas. It fits effortlessly into contemporary interiors, subtly present but always inviting a second look.

What you see depends on how you look. Maybe you recognise yourself in the work, maybe it just raises questions. That is the power of discomfort, the beauty of contrast.