about the art

Is the same technology that bars us from experiencing authentic moments the only way these moments can be preserved?

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In this body of work, I explore the digital medium, specifically Adobe Illustrator, while using candid photos. These images were not posed nor planned, thus, many see them as “real”. However, the same people who call these moments authentic are likely to believe cell phones are the origin of society’s disconnectedness. Every image represented in this portfolio is a candid, originally taken via iPhone. My works live in this paradox: the technology that pulls us out of authenticity is the only way to enjoy the authentic small moments in perpetuity.

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The relationship between technology and authentic moments played a major role in my medium choice. Illustrator uses vector art, which doesn’t produce a photographic aesthetic. My art is characterized by linear quality and/or color blocking. I hope to show how moments captured by technology are recognizable as moments from the real world, but lack qualities that make life more vivid than a screen. This exemplifies the gray area digital candids live in: exemplifying the authenticity of moments, but only captured for posterity by an aspect of modern life that draws us away from authenticity: technology.  I strive to interpret my style in a completely unique way in each piece, because even with the distortion of a screen, each moment is entirely unique and irreplicable.

 

The relationship between living authentically and existing in a world increasingly dependent on technology is infinitely intricate. Yet, for all of this, art is all about complexity, and it is my goal that my pieces can express this nuanced vision of the human experience.