“Tutto finisce a tarallucci e vino” (it all ends with biscuits and wine) is an Italian saying which essentially means, “Don’t worry, it’s all going to be fine.”

As of this writing, we’re in the middle of a pandemic and parts of California are still under lockdown. I’ve been sheltering in place for 70 days. The economy and our country is in shambles, and the only time I leave my house is to pick up mail. As an artist who documents the banalities of day-to-day life, I’m fortunate that my studio and home are one and the same.

Since the beginning of our lockdown I’ve been documenting my quarantine on a daily basis. The photographs are shot in-situ. Not surprisingly, the kitchen quickly became the focal point. Before the quarantine, I made one last trip to the grocery store and stocked up on provisions with no real meal-planning in mind. I thought I could live on a variety of root vegetables and citrus, but after the second haul of potatoes developed eyes, I reeled it in, relying only on a few staples.

For the last 21 days my main meal has been a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and anchovies. Like most comfort food, this particular dish is slightly nostalgic and tied to numerous memories, most of which involve friends, family, fine dining, and the prerequisite flashback to childhood and security. In other words, life before Covid-19.

The book is in the style of a vintage photo album designed for snapshots. The cover is a digital collage of the food packaging used in my meal preparation while the photographs are part of a larger project documenting the artist’s life in quarantine.

Mary Addison Hackett

Title: “It all ends with biscuits and wine” (Tutto finisce a tarallucci e vino)

Year: 2020

Media: 12 archival digital prints in a handmade album. Stab bound.

Dimensions: 6 x 11 inches

Limited Edition