Description

Much of our modern lives have become centered around consumption.  While we may consume more than our fair share of resources, what I am most interested in is the way we consume information. We are bombarded with a constant stream of information, shaping our opinions and eroding our ability to see objectively.  Much of the this data has been manipulated or sugar coated to become palatable. Headlines intentionally mislead and details are lacking.  All to attain to more clicks and for faster, easier consumption. Amidst all this- How can we determine what is real?

The collection of work in Triple Blind pushes this concept of the illusion of reliable sources even further as reporting becomes several times removed from its original form. The collection consists of a series of paintings I call Micro Truths. The reference photos for these paintings are created using photos obtained from a brief Google search. Each photo, while on display on the laptop screen, is then photographed using a smart phone. After which each photo is downloaded onto photoshop and edited. The result is a highly pixilated image which renders the subject matter unrecognizable and abstract.

I create these paintings using cake decorating tools; piping the heavy acrylic medium directly on the surface. The end result is a painting that appears to be made entirely of frosting.  The resulting texture of the surface not only engages the audience, but invites the viewer to touch. This facet of the work further calls our interaction with media into examination; the smooth black mirror we are continuously interacting with is a direct juxtaposition to the complex and varied surface of the paintings

My work has always questioned our complex relationship with reality. Previous work examined narcissism in the age of the selfie, weapons, currency, and whistle blowers. Currently, I am intrigued by the complexity of information and how it is disseminated and less focused on a particular topic. The subject matter in each photo shares a common theme in that they were all covered extensively by corporate media. Whether the reporting was viewed with skepticism, reverence, or disgust, they were subjects I felt were due closer examination. Subjects include currently recognizable figures with high pop media visibility, Jeffery Epstein, Julian Assange, Ross Ulbricht, Greta Thurnberg, and Elon Musk. Topical subjects also include melting polar icecaps/climate change, forest fires in Australia, social conflict, and the events of September 11.