Are my many selfies really narcissism? Selfies are a subtle commentary on culture and humanity, a form of wide-spread performance art and a valid adaptation of self-portraiture. Its instantaneous nature doesn't necessarily mean it lacks artistic value.
vicarious
“These selfies weren't originally meant to represent anything. They are the outcome of hours of boredom and online conversations with friends. As such, they may be more "authentic" then selfies that are born for clearly representational purposes. They are the result of intimate communication processes: they are creepy, cute or weird because that's the part of my character I like to share with my friends. As a kid I always fantasized about swapping bodies; now I can do it, at least in the digital world.” Franziska Von Guten
From Durer to Cornelius self-portraiture has always been a prominent element of the visual arts. The nature of modern photography, the indispensability of it and the ability to instantaneously capture without having to think about running out of film, has led to widespread experimentation on this front. Artists, as a result, are able to be less inhibited with their self-portraiture; taking on the practice of ‘selfies’ and making art, a lot of which the world will never see. The readiness of materials coupled with the growth of the 'individual' has created artists whose work is reflected in their selfies in intimate, sometimes demented, ways. Francis Bacon and Egon Schiele would be thrilled, artists are now able to create in snapchat the vibe which they had to create using oil paint.
Curated by Jum Fernandez featuring artwork from Franziska Von Guten, Tom Stockley, Carl Caruana, Zandi Dandizette, Bia Rodrigues, Enad Yenrac, Bobby Spangler, Fabiola Larios and Camilla Roriz.