This body of work by Bryun Holt is inspired by the 1972 Stanford Marshmallow Experiment—a study on delayed gratification that continues to echo in our modern, fast-paced, hyper-stimulated world. In the experiment, children were given a choice: eat one marshmallow now, or wait 15 minutes and receive two. The majority chose the marshmallow in front of them. That simple decision, repeated across subjects, revealed something deeply human: our impulse to choose immediate reward over future gain. Instant Gratification is both a personal reflection and a social commentary on our dwindling attention spans and our increasing pursuit of quick fixes, fleeting pleasures, and surface-level satisfaction.
These pieces begin with photographs that capture moments of indulgence, thrill, and vice—acts of instant gratification in their own right. Holt manipulates the images digitally, heightening colors, amplifying textures, and distorting reality to evoke the feel of a painting. From there, he returns to tactile process by adding mixed media, paint, and embellishments to the printed surface.
