Deception of the Image

People are subject to manipulation everyday from contemporary media.
Many disregard truth searching while others utilize these aspects to mislead others for their own benefit, whether they realize it or not.

My work focuses on the idea of false presentation, and how social media serves as a medium for deceiving images. I explore these concepts by
creating scenes that provoke skepticism in various levels of authenticity.
My paintings depict figures in curated settings, and how people intricately prepare themselves for an audience. I investigate the contrast between the genuine and superficial, and how social media plays a role in blurring
these lines.

My series, Living the Dream, is reminiscent of social media posts, however, instead of displaying highly curated images of desirable presentation, the images show the monotonous moments of someone’s day. When removing the layers of a carefully formatted image, the candid moment expresses a more accurate representation of the individual. This demonstrates how the nature of social media often limits a more holistic view of a person. Thus creating a gap in the perception of one’s presentation and their lived experiences.

With sensational, curated imagery being widely proliferated, people develop unrealistic views of the world and unhealthy expectations for themselves.
More so, whenever people receive validation and praise from these platforms, they fall into the feedback loop that inevitably creates addiction. With decline of media literacy, people assume the narratives that are handed to them, and allow fallacies to guide their outlook on the world.