GLOBAL. Now that the Christmas sales are coming to an end, we cannot help but wonder what will actually become of all the presents given this past year.

Tot (ALL). (2009). Aleix Plademunt | ROOSTERGNN

Tot (ALL). (2009). Aleix Plademunt | ROOSTERGNN

Catalonian artist Aleix Plademunt reflected on today’s consumer society a while back. “Wanting it all has become a non-viable necessity,” he writes in the mission statement for the above work Tot, meaning “All” in Catalan. Wanting it all is both euphoria and frustration. Our immediate desires demand success, but success is ephemeral.

At the end, he asks, “and if ALL was possible, I wonder if there is a physical place to store all our desires.”

The above photo, including several other works by the artist, are on view at Madrid’s Tabacalera until February 23, 2014, as part of the “Critical context. Spanish photography, 21st century” exhibit.