I'm pretty sure it's gonna be awesome and that you won't want to miss it.
poster printed by Bobby Rosenstock
http://2424studios.com/wp/
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
MFA THESIS EXHIBITION!!!
Come to our opening this Friday! I have some really awesome, super talented classmates, and the opening of our MFA Thesis Exhibition is this Friday at the SkyBox gallery at 2424 Studios.
I'm pretty sure it's gonna be awesome and that you won't want to miss it.
http://2424studios.com/wp/
I'm pretty sure it's gonna be awesome and that you won't want to miss it.
http://2424studios.com/wp/
Benton's Bazaaro
PHinally...
I finished my thesis, installed the show, defended/critiqued, and the opening reception is this Friday.
For those of you who don't know what I've been up to, I've made a mock woman's magazine filled with satirical articles and commentary on the way women are portrayed in the media. At this point I'd really prefer to never talk about or look at another fashion magazine again, but if you're interested...here is something that resembles an artist's statement:
The media is a central element of modern life, and gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identities. With the media containing so many images and messages about men, women, and sexuality, it is unlikely that these ideas would have no impact on our own sense of identity. Women’s magazines offer a confusing and contradictory set of ideas. Many of their messages are positive, communicating the idea of an assertive and independent woman, and yet the emphasis on looking beautiful is generally inescapable. For the most part, woman’s magazines are reproducing a smartened-up version of the old-fashion idea that a women’s existence revolves around landing the right guy – although the technique has changed from great cooking to great sex. The fundamental difference between then and now is that the stronghold on women’s lives and aspirations now masquerades as girl power. For every article on being an independent woman and career planning, there’s another one on attracting a boyfriend and honeymoon destinations. With every empowering statement and self-esteem boost there is a make-up ad to cultivate insecurities for which “solutions” can then be sold.
People consume hours of television, flip through magazines, surf the net, pass billboards, go to the movies, and are generally unable to avoid popular culture and advertising. There is an overwhelming amount of information going into people’s heads. Even if they don’t see it as information, or say they’re not paying attention to it, even if they are able to criticize it, and are aware that it is constructed fiction – they are unable to escape the influence of its content. The magazine I created, Bazaaro, highlights these contradictions and points to the absurdity of a culture that we ourselves have created and simultaneously undermine. As opposed to traditional advertising and media efforts, my work provokes the viewer to pause and think, rather than blindly consume.
As an artist I’m interested in having a conversation with the community at large, which is why many of my pieces have an interactive element to them. I like to throw my viewers off guard and trick them into looking at a piece of art or considering an idea that they may have overlooked. Is this a real magazine? Is it a joke? Is it art? I welcome all of these questions and more. I don’t see my work as circumscribed by the art world, and I encourage my audience to take action based on the ideas they discover in my art.
I need to take better pics, but here's a preview:
You can preview the entire magazine here - the text is too small to read, so I guess you'll just have to buy one!!!!
Here's a look at the show installation:
I finished my thesis, installed the show, defended/critiqued, and the opening reception is this Friday.
For those of you who don't know what I've been up to, I've made a mock woman's magazine filled with satirical articles and commentary on the way women are portrayed in the media. At this point I'd really prefer to never talk about or look at another fashion magazine again, but if you're interested...here is something that resembles an artist's statement:
The media is a central element of modern life, and gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identities. With the media containing so many images and messages about men, women, and sexuality, it is unlikely that these ideas would have no impact on our own sense of identity. Women’s magazines offer a confusing and contradictory set of ideas. Many of their messages are positive, communicating the idea of an assertive and independent woman, and yet the emphasis on looking beautiful is generally inescapable. For the most part, woman’s magazines are reproducing a smartened-up version of the old-fashion idea that a women’s existence revolves around landing the right guy – although the technique has changed from great cooking to great sex. The fundamental difference between then and now is that the stronghold on women’s lives and aspirations now masquerades as girl power. For every article on being an independent woman and career planning, there’s another one on attracting a boyfriend and honeymoon destinations. With every empowering statement and self-esteem boost there is a make-up ad to cultivate insecurities for which “solutions” can then be sold.
People consume hours of television, flip through magazines, surf the net, pass billboards, go to the movies, and are generally unable to avoid popular culture and advertising. There is an overwhelming amount of information going into people’s heads. Even if they don’t see it as information, or say they’re not paying attention to it, even if they are able to criticize it, and are aware that it is constructed fiction – they are unable to escape the influence of its content. The magazine I created, Bazaaro, highlights these contradictions and points to the absurdity of a culture that we ourselves have created and simultaneously undermine. As opposed to traditional advertising and media efforts, my work provokes the viewer to pause and think, rather than blindly consume.
As an artist I’m interested in having a conversation with the community at large, which is why many of my pieces have an interactive element to them. I like to throw my viewers off guard and trick them into looking at a piece of art or considering an idea that they may have overlooked. Is this a real magazine? Is it a joke? Is it art? I welcome all of these questions and more. I don’t see my work as circumscribed by the art world, and I encourage my audience to take action based on the ideas they discover in my art.
I need to take better pics, but here's a preview:
You can preview the entire magazine here - the text is too small to read, so I guess you'll just have to buy one!!!!
Here's a look at the show installation:
<<Ahem>>
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