Oil Paint on Stretched Canvas 120cm x 87cm     Shopping is no longer just an act of necessity. It's become a cycle of desire, dissatisfaction, and debt. Pushing consumers to spend more, more, more! Every purchase promises fulfillment. Yet the moment the transaction is complete, the emptiness lingers. This is the essence of Retail Therapy. A fleeting high. A temporary escape. An illusion of control... In this painting, I have endeavored to capture every facet of the shopping experience. The desirous window shopper. The shoplifter. The charities, symbolized in this painting by the hand with the coin-slot in it. The credit cards that make spending effortless. And the unending aisles filled with products designed for obsolescence. Where the packaging of a product has become more important than the product itself. And yet, the packaging is the first thing that ends up contributing to the boundless polluted landfills of our world. Where the products we buy are made from the cheapest ingredients that can be sourced. If it could be sourced even cheaper it would. Which means, by default, we're buying and consuming the absolute cheapest Cheapest products that the manufacturers can get away with. And then they have the audacity to say things like 'Premium', 'New And Improved', etc, etc... The background of this artwork i have painted minimalist to mirror the void that's left behind after the thrill of a purchase fades.