Arms Disarmed – Candy

About the artwork

Danger made delicious. A whimsical yet poignant photograph of a gun made solely from tiny pieces of sugary candy, all the colors of the rainbow.
— This series is a blunt and humorous portrayal of some of history’s most hotly disputed objects. Guns have caused widespread terror and suffering, yet they remain a central subject in the public security debate. By making weapons out of edible items, the installations juxtapose the commonplace with the powerful and destructive; the potential ending of a life. Should weapons be as accessible as a supermarket commodity?
Bright colors and materials present the objects in a tempting and comic context, relieving them of their usual gravity and grimness. Paint dripping from the banana revolver reminds us of cartoon comics, while candy references the childlike and the seductive. The alignment references a world where toy pistols and swords merely set the scene for a game of catch. Embracing this innocent sensibility, the series proposes a playful approach to the public debate.
Diminishing the severity of weapons issue is a far cry from Clara’s intention, however. Her work simply recognizes the universal strive to feel secure, whether it’s by the protection of weapons or protection from them. She uses art to recognize that while one human’s fear may contradict someone else’s feeling of assurance, both reactions stem from the same desire. The need to feel secure is at the very core of human survival; perhaps this is what drives the unwillingness to compromise with opposing arguments. The series aims to disarm the outset of the debate, as it suggests that perhaps there is common ground to be found.