The colourful lollipops are so tantalising – you can’t help but want to eat them, but know that you would immediately feel guilty if you did! By preserving sweets which have such a strong association with childhood within an adult’s handbag, what one might discreetly hide in one’s purse has been laid open to our scrutiny and judgement. The work also plays with the humorous instance of an adult reaching into their classy handbag and discovering that their child has filled it with sticky sweets!
The title of the piece also contains more complex connotations. There’s the obvious sexual innuendo, as well as the potentially darker meaning of being a ‘sucker’ in the sense of being duped, especially in the context of people wanting or buying a very expensive designer bag that will be out of fashion next season.
