Conformity versus True Self.

Medium: Discarded leather scraps, nails, wood, rust

Dimensions: 36 X 48

Year: 2019 , for MoMA PopRally × The Bronx: Beauteous

Short description:

The artwork is a reaction to the pressure from the corporate world to conform – to act, look, think and live in a certain way.

In order to escape social isolation, individuals will therefore be incentivized to have several adaptable clones in order to fit the expectations and ideologies of the corporate conglomerate.

However, the beneath the façade of the copy/pasted looks of the clones lies a much more complex and layered memory of the original self. This is portrayed through the material that used for this artwork which upon closer inspection reveals the underlying difference between the clones. Discarded leather scraps, which is the primary medium, have the power to evoke an emotional response that is induced by its different elements - from the texture (scratches, holes, imperfections, discoloration), to the smell, to the memory of their past use. The layering technique is used to distort and fragment the faces/people with the aim of inviting the audience to change focus from the “suggested similarity” to the uniqueness of what is beyond the surface - reflecting on their own experiences. Another important part of the artwork is the textile patches that are dyed with rust which serve as a fingerprints to the memories of each clone. Furthermore, the use of nails represents solid, strong, durable and unbreakable values of the past.

Underpinning this all, is an uncontrollable desire for the true unique self to be expressed. This will reach a tipping point resulting in a cataclysmic outburst of emotion where the true self prevails – this is expressed in the artwork through the shouting face.