EMOJINAL MANIPULATION

    “Emojinal Manipulation” emphasizes the interdependence of contemporary communication outlets and the wide-spread normalization of self-indulgent conventions. The line between the selfie and the self portrait becomes blurred, exploring the polysemic nature of the word “icon”. By embellishing one's own outward appearance with commonplace ideograms that stand for one’s pleasures and passions, the private particulars of the self are revealed. Existential anxieties act as a byproduct of a media-centric generation that is simultaneously narcissistic and self-critical, isolated and connected, generating a feedback loop of dissociation by association. The ego becomes disseminated into representations of material things, creating a disconnected sense of self and the desire to develop a new visual language. 

Emojinal Manipulation
Varying Sizes
Graphite, Colored Pencil, Acrylic Paint
​2018-2020