Tyler Shields’ Prada Popcorn (2012, Archival Pigment Print) exemplifies the artist’s satirical approach to consumerism, luxury, and desire. In the image, a hand holds a sleek black popcorn box emblazoned with the Prada logo, while a pair of red lips hovers temptingly close, poised to take a bite. The juxtaposition of a mundane snack with the branding of a high-fashion house collapses the divide between everyday indulgence and elite luxury.

With its sharp contrasts, minimalist background, and polished composition, the photograph amplifies the absurdity of commodification, reimagining popcorn—a cheap, disposable pleasure—as a glamorous accessory. Shields critiques the culture of status and consumption while simultaneously indulging in its aesthetics, offering a work that is both playful and biting.

Prada Popcorn distills Shields’ ongoing fascination with fashion, identity, and excess into a single, witty visual. By reframing the ordinary as luxury, the work highlights how branding can transform meaning, creating a photograph that is as subversive as it is seductive.

Chromogenic print
15 x 20 inches