One of the most prevalent themes of postmodernism is the penetration of commercial culture into self-identity. This is also manifested physically through the fusion of inorganic materials into our bodies. The products advertised to us for personal maintenance become integrated into routines in the service of creating a presentable version of ourselves. At the same time, these products release toxic materials like microplastics, poisoning our bodies in the long term.

In this piece, a toothbrush, one of the most ubiquitous symbols of hygiene, is perverted through the introduction of organic material. Though once a utilitarian object, new bristles made of long strands of human hair render the brush unusable. Through this alteration, the very identity of the toothbrush as an object is twisted, and the user is physically introduced. The two are inextricable.

Today, commercial success depends on building a brand, and building a brand relies on subliminal messaging. Values and aesthetics alone are not sufficient to secure a customer base. Instead, the name of the brand must permeate the collective subconscious. The toothbrush, emblazoned with the Walgreens brand name, is a tool of subliminal messaging.

Suspended within a viscous, blue solution, the toothbrush evokes a specimen preserved in formaldehyde. The preservation of organic specimens after death reveals an ordinarily inaccessible state to human observation. In a similar vein, the suspension of the toothbrush brings an element of private life into public view through spectacle.

Not quite organic, and not quite inorganic, the toothbrush is frozen in time, perhaps preserved from decay. The hair blooms from the brush in a cloud, suggesting an untamed wildness, while the slant of the toothbrush appears as though falling. The piece is at once spontaneous and clinical, generating an unreality that parallels capitalistic simulations of human society.