The works of artist Sara Mayoral exist at the intersection of transience, memory, and transformation. Her artistic practice—spanning video, sculpture, fermentation, and performative elements—engages deeply with the fragility of life. Moving between personal introspection and a universal reflection on time and materiality, her work explores the inevitable cycles of existence.  

 

For her diploma exhibition, Mayoral presents El Buen Morir, a contemporary installation centered around the Vanitas motif. However, rather than merely depicting ephemerality, she conveys it through **real, sensory, and gustatory experiences. Her work is an invitation to confront the fundamental cycles of life in a way that directly affects us: through food, through disgust, through pleasure. Instead of mourning death, El Buen Morir celebrates life.  

 

At the heart of the installation is the image of a banquet, staged through lavish floral and food arrangements. Handcrafted clay pedestals serve as carriers of a visual language that speaks of the cycle of life and the inevitability of decay. Hanging floral compositions, organic glass objects, and the sound of chirping cicadas heighten the immersive atmosphere. Many of the flowers were collected from a cemetery—discarded, yet given new meaning and a second existence in her work. The cicada sounds, on the other hand, evoke a sense of home.  

 

Video is also a key element in the installation, featuring two of Mayoral’s grandmothers—one who has passed away and one who is still alive. One screen captures a simple day spent with her maternal grandmother, while another shows a cemetery visit. The minimalist, unembellished cinematography creates an intimate yet abstract portrayal, allowing the audience to share in Mayoral’s deep familial connection.  

 

Beyond the visual, the installation is a sensorial experience. Mayoral has crafted her own vermouth, infused with flowers and herbs from regions that define her personal history. The light vermouth pays homage to Bavaria, while the dark one honors her Spanish roots. This alcoholic elixir ties fermentation to transformation—sugar becomes alcohol, fruits turn into essences. The process recalls Renaissance alchemy, where science and art were deeply intertwined.  

 

For Mayoral, this transformation is not only material but also metaphorical—memories, emotions, and traditions are preserved in liquid, then consumed. By engaging the viewer’s sense of taste, she dissolves the boundaries between art and the body. The act of ingestion creates an intimate, almost subversive, connection to the artwork—viewers do not simply observe, they physically absorb the materials and meanings Mayoral has shaped. Here, the audience is not just a participant; their interaction becomes the artwork itself. In this way, El Buen Morir aligns with new materialist methodologies, which emphasize the dissolution of subjective boundaries.  

 

A moment of tension is constructed through the juxtaposition of edible, sugar-preserved flowers, flavorful elixirs, and decaying, mold-covered food displayed on pedestals. By deliberately staging rot and decomposition, the installation highlights society’s tendency to repress the reality of decay. This contrast not only underscores the celebration of death but also forces the viewer to confront abjection—a term defined by philosopher Julia Kristeva as the unsettling recognition of our own bodily fragility, such as through rotting food or organic substances deemed impure. Mayoral’s work challenges the audience not to look away from this discomfort, but to face it—to accept the beauty within decay.