Zoelle Nagib (she/her)
Conflict Free Milk, 2020
Neon
12x24"
Conflict Free Milk is fraught with the concern of sacrifices and inherent violence made on behalf of procuring nutrition. For the consumer in general, the phrase is a reminder of the human and ecological toll inflicted by mass production of ‘milks’ the world over. Specific to the experience of a new mother, the words communicate the tangled emotional turmoil and physical demands of nourishing their child. Breastfeeding is often touted as the ideal method for feeding a newborn; however several factors often disrupt this advice such as class and racial inequities, lack of education, profit hungry formula companies, biological issues, or personal choice. The lived experience of providing nutrition for one’s child is nothing near a simple picture, only amplified by the cultural pressure put on caregivers to succeed. As one views the piece, words perform an arc like cycle between being illuminated and extinguished, finally with words flashing so fast they’re illegible. In this way, the work negates the beckoning call of something so nourishing ever truly being free.