Arif-Galanti’s images, however, do not function only as memento mori, or reminders of the inevitability of human death. The decaying and partially consumed fruit, vegetables, egg and candy appear alongside a number of picture-perfect items. Upon closer examination, one realizes that these impeccable specimens (a cabbage, a pepper, and grapes) are made of plastic, and will thus remain eternally “fresh” and inedible.

Arif-Galanti’s artificial fruit and vegetables are simultaneously elegiac and beautiful. They are cheap and commonplace, with their visible production holes and plastic joints. At the same time, they are eternally immortalized at the perfect peak of their maturity and attractiveness.

This contrast between natural decay and artificial perfection may be taken as a humorous comment on contemporary society, where people experience a great deal of pressure to erase the signs of aging, and where wrinkles and decay must be avoided at all costs.

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