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It Was Good While It Lasted takes the form of an altar dedicated to adrenochrome—not as a factual substance extracted from children, but as a recurring conspiracy myth. In its contemporary form, the story imagines powerful celebrities participating in a secret satanic network and using the blood of children as an elixir of youth.

The alleged perpetrators change from generation to generation, while the structure of the story remains largely intact. Older antisemitic fantasies about Jewish ritual practices reappear online, recast around celebrity culture and the idea of a hidden elite. The installation connects this mythology to the fountain of youth and grew from a broader interest in the way conspiracy stories absorb cultic and mythological structures.

The title refers to the inscription on Jimmy Savile’s gravestone. Savile died before the scale of his sexual abuse became publicly known, and the stone bearing the words “It was good while it lasted” was removed shortly afterwards.

Aluminium, wood, satin PLA, air-dry clay, paint, chains, faux moss, dice and epoxy
Installation, dimensions variable
Presented at Prospects , Art Rotterdam
Organised by Mondriaan Fonds
Rotterdam, 2024

Photography by Tommy Smits

It Was Good While It Lasted

2024