Do you like eating in empty restaurants? Neither do I... This is the principle of social proof or the “herd mentality”. We often use this shortcut to figure out how to behave or what to choose. We look around us and simply imitate others. Generally speaking, when a large number of people act in a certain way, we understand that this is the best thing to do and adopt the same behavior.

This series features four ear tags for cattle, sheep and goats. The ear tags usually feature individual identification numbers, indicating the uniqueness of each animal in the herd. These four images ironically evoke the relationship between the individual and the group.

Cheptel, 2023, linocut on paper, 59,4x42cm