Episode 2: Social Media
Peek into the second episode of The Exhibit.
One of the hardest struggles I have as an “emerging artist” is imposter syndrome and social media doesn’t really help with that. In fact, it makes it worse. This week’s theme was Social Media and I had a hard time settling on an idea that’d be impactful, and wouldn’t be redundant next to everyone else’s work. During the six weeks prior to filming the show, I called my older brother to help me talk through my ideas for this one. We discussed a dystopian future painting set in a dingy museum where patrons view artworks privately. Each art piece would be trying to sell the viewer on something, such as sex, conspiracy theories, or low self esteem. The judges would play the role of algorithmic surveillance with this piece. I just wasn’t sure I could properly execute this idea in seven hours!
So I went rogue. I mean we’re talking about social media right? So why not just wing it?
Of all the commissions this one pushed the limits on time the most. I felt the pressure of trying to complete three oil paintings in seven hours. It wasn’t easy but I did it. Under the circumstances, it’s hard for me to say I’m not proud of what I made. I just know this commission isn’t everything that I wanted it to be. Instead of executing my original idea I decided to take a more vulnerable approach and draw on the illusions of social media that I know I fall prey to: vanity, curated experience and showing off your best life while staying silent about the mundane or depressing parts. I know my work didn’t do enough for the judges because it didn’t feel like enough for me. Then again, we are our own hardest critics.
Of the three paintings, the one of mountains is my favorite and the one I enjoyed painting the most. It reminded me of how I learned to plein air paint in the south of France and resurfaced memories of spending time in the forest with friends and family back when I lived on the West Coast. The one with the purple hearse parked on a hill ties into the story I’m slowly building on in the background. More on that later.
The verdict is still out on prints of these three, but the originals are available for purchase.
