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Oil on canvas 65 x 50 cm
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Know Thy Selfie
This painting is an exploration of the
relationship between the painted self-portrait and the selfie.
Someone taking a selfie will take (or select from several
recently taken) a photo that adequately reflects how they want to be
represented at that moment. They then upload it to a networking (or sharing) platform such
as Facebook or Twitter where it goes to the top of a time line. Typically,
there will be many images of this person earlier in this time line and there
will undoubtedly, be more later too. So a virtual version of the person exists
in parallel that they can control in order to maintain a certain self-image; it
is a curated self that aims to impress.
This self-portrait was painted from life using a mirror, not
a photo; the phone was just a prop. Although I've adopted the pose of a
selfie taker my intention is self-study, born from curiosity more than
propaganda. I find that to get a reasonable likeness I have to examine myself
with forensic care and record what I see with ruthless objectivity (not always
a kind process). It is a reflective practice that strips away ego and hopefully
reveals something honest and without pretence. The painting took several days
to complete so it captures the full variety of the relationship between me and
my reflection over that time: different moods, thoughts, etc. Also, how a
portrait is painted says as much about the painter as it does of the sitter so
in the case of the self-portrait you have this extra layer of information. It is a distillation of time into a
timeless image; a milestone that acknowledges mortality.
The selfie is a captured moment, a disposable image that
joins a stream of images past, present and future; images whose main function
is not memory (like the family album), but to maintain the existence of online
ME. A stream of images that flow into a river (the sharing platform), then into
an ocean of yet more images.
Does this ocean of images represent a new generation of
self-obsession expressed through photophilia, or could it be that as
technology becomes more integrated into our lives then everyday experience and
ideas of self are increasingly mediated through this technology? Then, the posted selfie becomes a natural and inevitable practice for many people.
Related articles:
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21599322-it-time-stop-invoking-narcissism-diagnosis-so-many-modern-ills-self-love
Related articles:
http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21599322-it-time-stop-invoking-narcissism-diagnosis-so-many-modern-ills-self-love
