Snickers

An iconic chocolate bar, inextricably linked with the work and the world of Ward. In Wolven (23), the snack received a prominent role in a dialogue from the chapter 'Fokking warm', but this divine creation of peanuts, caramel, nougat and chocolate had already long been an established element in his work. In exhibitions, a Snickers wrapper was sometimes hidden away between the various artworks on show.

Due to the nostalgic power of this chocolate bar and its iconic logo, a scene like 'Fokking warm' immediately gains a familiar quality for many readers. In Ward's work, this is often a role assigned to food, like a nostalgic wink. For example, besides Snickers, other brands sometimes placed in this role include Coca Cola, Oxo soup, Haribo, Smiley Potatoes, and others. They are all unhealthy products that convey a certain nostalgia, and are at the same time part of the pop culture universe that Ward loved to display.

In the short story 'Koude schotels' (‘Cold Dishes’) (64), a 2X Snickers makes an appearance. These treats packed in pairs are shared between the main character and a girl he meets at the chip shop. The chocolate bar becomes the catalyst of a tender moment between the two, which leads to awkward sex behind the chippy.

FUN FACT: Snickers are also perfectly suited to demonstrate the size of a book in a picture. Snickers for scale.

• (23) Wolven ('Wolves') - Enzo Smits and Ward Zwart. Bries: Antwerp, 2016. Second print run, 2020. Translated into French as Wolven - Même Pas Mal: Marseille, 2018.
• (62) Loloman - Loloman (Danza de los negrito and De lange Jos). Self-published: Antwerp, 2018, number of copies unknown, technique: photocopy with cover on yellow paper.