Eating Away delves into repressed memories and emotions that have unconsciously surfaced during the creation of the work. A reluctance to open up would eventually lead Mahtola to work alongside a grief counsellor, where, for the first time in over 30 years he would begin to address a lifelong and complex understanding of death, examine it, and eventually repackage it with a forever transformed perspective.
The use of food, animals and other symbolic objects act metaphorically, inspired by the notion of ‘Memento Mori’ seen in Dutch still life vanitas paintings.
What started out as a painfully morbid experience is now one of acceptance and a quiet reminder that one day we must all return back to the earth.
