The Art of Too Much: Contemporary Artist Luisa Zay on Choice, Overconsumption, and Visual Storytelling
- Selfless Art Gallery
- Sep 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 16
Based in Cologne, Germany, contemporary artist Luisa Zay creates thought-provoking works that challenge how we navigate choice, consumerism, and daily rituals. Her ongoing series, Excessive Consumption, transforms the seemingly mundane setting of the supermarket into a stage where modern life unfolds—overwhelm, desire, and decision-making all competing for attention. Zay’s work isn’t about quick answers; it’s about pausing to notice. By layering detail, color, and composition, she captures the tension between excess and clarity, showing how even ordinary objects can mirror larger truths about the human condition. In this exclusive interview, Zay shares her creative journey from illustration to painting, her inspirations, and how her practice continues to evolve as both a mirror and a question for society.
Q:Let’s start off with a fun ice breaker: If you had to describe yourself as a supermarket aisle, which one would it be (frozen foods, bakery, snacks, produce, etc.) and why?
A: I just took myself, in thought, on a stroll through a local discount store and found myself lingering in the “around the world” aisle. At first glance, it appears to be randomly put together, and even when you look more closely, it still feels that way. I love discovering traditions, specialties, and everyday life rituals from other countries and cultures. When I travel, I am always more drawn to observing daily life, trying local food, and watching how people move through their routines than to sightseeing attractions or places designed mainly for tourists. Getting a sense of what it feels like to live there fascinates me.
Q: Can you share a bit about your background and how you became a full-time artist?
A: Creating has been my way of processing feelings, emotions, and the world around me for as long as I can remember, even as a child. In art, I find my own cosmos—a place where I decide what adventures unfold, what colors surround me, and what stories are ready to be told. It’s where I feel free. I always knew that I would end up doing something creative, but I truly became hooked once I started studying. I studied Illustration, with a focus on drawing and painting, at an academy in Berlin. During that time, I was finally able to draw, paint, design, and create every single day. I never went on vacations without my sketchbook, and the number of ideas for new works kept flowing endlessly. After I graduated, I moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where I worked as a full-time designer for two years. But I soon realized that this could only be a short chapter in my life, since painting outside of working hours was not enough for me. In 2019, I moved back to Germany, and since then I have been working, living, and gratefully celebrating the full-time artist life.
Q: Building on your background, how has illustration influenced your eye for detail, composition, and storytelling?
A: While I have illustrated stories and articles written by others, I have learned how to translate those words into my own visual language, without being too direct or obvious. I wanted to leave space for the viewer’s own thoughts and imagination. My role was simply to open a door to another world through my work. But whether and what stories are hidden behind them was not for me to decide, but for the viewers themselves. And that is still what I am striving for today.
Q: In your ongoing series Excessive Consumption, how do you see the supermarket as a metaphor for the broader human condition, where the sheer number of options can both liberate and paralyze us? And personally, how do you relate to this experience?
A: I first got the idea for my ongoing series almost two years ago. It was during a time when I found myself questioning my place in society, and with it everything that seemed to define daily life: the way I consume, the food I eat, my political standing, the values I carry. I’ve kept asking myself the same question: what is it that really matters to me?
One day, following my sister’s recommendation, I wanted to visit an Asian supermarket. From the outside, it appeared inconspicuous, tucked between a lifeless grey building on one side and the cold glow of a gas station on the other. I stepped in without expectations. Inside, I was suddenly surrounded by an overwhelming variety of color and products. In front of me, vibrant stacks of instant ramen piled to the ceiling, countless bottles of soy sauce I could never choose from, and seaweed snacks in flavors I had never even heard of. I was overwhelmed, almost swallowed by it all. In the middle of it, I forgot why I had come, or what I wanted in the first place.
I left with a random assortment of groceries: BBQ-flavored seaweed snacks, mushrooms I had never seen before, and a strawberry cookie shaped like a fish.
And yet, as I carried them home, a deeper question lingered: on what basis do we decide what to consume? Is my craving truly mine, or the echo of a commercial, an influencer, or a passing trend? Since that moment, the question has returned to me again and again—not only about food, but about so many choices in life: styling, relationships, careers. After almost two years, I still feel how much this shapes my own life and the lives of those I speak to about it. It continues to move me, and I am eager to keep observing, processing, and translating these reflections into more paintings. Q: Building on that idea, would you say your work is more about distilling excess into simplicity—or about embracing the complexity of it all?
A: I would say my work leans toward embracing the complexity. I want to capture the feeling of being overwhelmed: too much, too tight, too loud. And I want to translate that into my works. But within that complexity, I want to draw attention to consuming behavior. By experiencing and observing it fully, we can notice our everyday choices more clearly and perhaps discern what is truly needed in each moment. My art is about finding clarity through engagement, allowing simplicity to emerge naturally from awareness, rather than force. Q: Looking at your process and technique, how do you think about color in these works, especially when dealing with objects and environments that already have strong visual identities?
A: Generally, I want to create a cold environment in my work. When I am thinking of the moments where I feel overwhelmed, it is mostly cold and tight—not much air and very packed. Therefore, I always start with a cold color base. Usually, I have a color scheme in mind when I start a new painting, and one of the joys of art is the freedom it gives me. For instance, a ketchup bottle can be painted red, blue, or any other color I choose. I can just paint these products in whatever color I want them to be. I love that part—the freedom to decide in my own way and, through it, to create my own reality.
Q: Looking ahead, what do you hope viewers take away from your work—whether about overconsumption, choice, or simply everyday life?
A: My paintings capture moments that serve as non-judgmental societal reflections. I want viewers to feel seen and to sense that they are not alone in this complex and tightly interconnected world. My hope is that they, too, begin to ask themselves: what is it that really matters to me?
For me, making conscious and deliberate decisions each day and questioning my own behaviors and choices has brought me closer to understanding my true needs. And that’s what I love about this series. It is not about restricting ourselves, but about observing and reflecting on our actions in order to understand what truly matters to us.
Through her ongoing series Excessive Consumption, Luisa Zay encourages viewers to reflect on the overwhelming choices in daily life and the ways our behaviors are influenced by society. Her work bridges illustration and fine art, using vibrant color, detailed composition, and everyday objects to capture the tension between excess and human experience. By engaging with her paintings, viewers are invited to question their habits, recognize patterns, and consider what truly matters in a world filled with constant options.
To explore more of Luisa Zay’s work and see how her art transforms ordinary moments into powerful reflections on choice, consumption, and the human condition, follow her on Instagram and visit her website.
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