Half-Pixel (2017) Photograph

As cameras become more and more integral to our society, we begin to communicate primarily through images. Expressions of identity have become more nuanced and performative. In our world, dominated by follower counts, profile photos and 140-character tweets, we take cues from mainstream media as well as hegemonic conditioning to polish ourselves in an endless quest for societal validation. Our affinity for technology catalyzes this reckoning, offering refuge from the prison of the self while democratizing the tools used to alter, obscure, and fabricate our digital persona. Working with portraiture allows me to have a metaphorical conversation about the nature of reality, where the original image posits truth and my manipulations posit fiction. Whether I choose to develop the images through a multi-layered digital process or I isolate specific elements that are then recontextualized, I call into question the fallibility of images in the digital age and the evolving semiotics of the selfie. Ultimately, the work aims to highlight dichotomies inherent in this age of anxiety -- virtual and actual; masculine and feminine; and public and private.