The first thing to notice is that this can is opened. Did you have a Pavlovian response to the imagined sound of the ring tab popping the seal? I did. D knows what power an image and implied sounds yields.
But that doesn't begin to engage the image. Met in isolation, with no further context, we do not know if the can is still full or empty. Aha! Here we have the genius at work.
Do we approach this image with hope? With suspicion? Will we be sated or disappointed? What is concealed by that confounded popped lid?
I've been holding onto this image for a few days and I find that when I'm feeling "down" or pessimistic, I experience this micro-installation as discouragement or misfortune; I've missed my supper! When I'm feeling "up" and optimistic, however, I find that themes of satiation, even purring emerge. I don't mean to suggest that the work of D is some sort of cheap alcoholic drink that goes straight to your head and amplifies whatever you're already feeling or---worse---an easy substitute for a Rorschach test. No no no no no! What I'm getting at is that work like this meets us where we are, draws out our emotions, makes us examine ourselves and our desires.
Rich! Such a rich image, indeed.
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