Feeder 2, by Nayland Blake, 1998

Nayland Blake, Artist
Feeder 2 , 1998

Medium
Gingerbread, metal frame
Dimensions
84 x 120 x 84 in. (213.4 x 304.8 x 213.4 cm)
Credit Line
Collection of Gwen and Peter Norton. With support from Platine Bakery, Los Angeles, and Capitol Distribution Company. Image courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery

This one-room cottage built of gingerbread tiles mounted on a steel frame evokes fairy tales in which such sweetness is used to seduce, but as we know from Hansel and Gretel, the dark house could easily be a trap. Feeder 2 feels, too, like the remnant of a stage set, suggesting past action and absent bodies, relationships that vacillate between seduction and control, release and entrapment.