#SendMeYourSelfie
The Selfie phenomenon has been increasingly interesting to me. “Selfies,” have inserted themselves into the contemporary conversation about identity politics and cultural aesthetics. They have become an integral part of social media users’ projected identities both in “real” space and internet space. “Pics or it didn’t happen” is a commonly used phrase in social media conversations and #SelfieSaturday is a thing. A person’s real psychological identity is now closely linked to their online persona and selfies are an integral part of this connection. Similarly, social media spaces themselves have become their own societies and cultures, reflective of the physical society, but transformed as well.
For this project, I have asked my social media friends to send me their selfies to make paintings from. I am drawing on the history of anthropological painting and photography by documenting the cultural aesthetics of the people that contribute to social media sites. However, anthropological studies have often said more about the culture of the documenter rather than the documented. By asking social media users to send me their selfies I am playing with the autonomy of the subject. They have total control over their initial photograph, however, I have total control over the painting process and the final image presented. It is a collaboration between the contemporary society I wish to depict and myself as the artist. Furthermore, as a member of these social media communities my perspective is influenced by my participation.
For this project, I have asked my social media friends to send me their selfies to make paintings from. I am drawing on the history of anthropological painting and photography by documenting the cultural aesthetics of the people that contribute to social media sites. However, anthropological studies have often said more about the culture of the documenter rather than the documented. By asking social media users to send me their selfies I am playing with the autonomy of the subject. They have total control over their initial photograph, however, I have total control over the painting process and the final image presented. It is a collaboration between the contemporary society I wish to depict and myself as the artist. Furthermore, as a member of these social media communities my perspective is influenced by my participation.
