We like to think freedom means doing what we want. But where did we get the things we want in the first place?
The microbiome offers a parallel: no single organism is in charge, yet the whole system shapes what can survive. In culture, no one needs to tell us what to desire when our environment is already busy teaching us what’s desirable, rewarding us for wanting it, and making the alternatives harder to imagine.
Moreover, we participate willingly. We follow the rules, chase rewards, and reproduce the conditions that keep us running. Nobody has to force us. We do it ourselves, then call it a personal choice.
Our freedom operates inside conditions we rarely choose. The system doesn’t need to control every move. It just needs to shape the field in which we move.
If we’re helping maintain the system that shapes our desires, how do we tell the difference between wanting something and having learned to want it?
After all, nobody likes being controlled. We much prefer to call it having good taste.
Medium: Acrylic and lacquer on canvas
Year: 2026
Size: 30×24 in | 76.2 × 61 cm
Edges: Gallery-wrapped, painted, ready to hang
Signed: Front and back
Certificate of authenticity: Included
We like to think freedom means doing what we want. But where did we get the things we want in the first place?
The microbiome offers a parallel: no single organism is in charge, yet the whole system shapes what can survive. In culture, no one needs to tell us what to desire when our environment is already busy teaching us what’s desirable, rewarding us for wanting it, and making the alternatives harder to imagine.
Moreover, we participate willingly. We follow the rules, chase rewards, and reproduce the conditions that keep us running. Nobody has to force us. We do it ourselves, then call it a personal choice.
Our freedom operates inside conditions we rarely choose. The system doesn’t need to control every move. It just needs to shape the field in which we move.
If we’re helping maintain the system that shapes our desires, how do we tell the difference between wanting something and having learned to want it?
After all, nobody likes being controlled. We much prefer to call it having good taste.
Medium: Acrylic and lacquer on canvas
Year: 2026
Size: 30×24 in | 76.2 × 61 cm
Edges: Gallery-wrapped, painted, ready to hang
Signed: Front and back
Certificate of authenticity: Included
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