Creating shelters is related to the history of mankind. Shelters are human habitats, physical and psychological spaces found all around the world that provide protection and comfort. Civilization has layered the shelter with many other meanings related to wealth, status, religion, family life, notions of community, and privacy. The shelter, or the house, is an extension of our own body, clothing, and personal space. This space reflects the development from being into well-being, showing the targets in the lives of humans to settle and enrich themselves. This aim for prosperity and well-being is rooted in our genes and psyches. My work, “Targets of Prosperity”, shows different aspects of these secure mental spaces. I used the idea of the Buddha of Prosperity, in which the ritual of giving money to the fat bellied Buddha promises wealth and protection of the giver. On the inside of a gold-plated shelter is a video of myself posing as a beggar, sticking the received money on my belly and under my breasts.

(Courtesy of www.mellajaarsma.com)