Dane Stops

This body of work is an exploration of the nude figure within the context of contemporary society. It stems from research about how context influences artistic exploration of the nude. I look at the Internet and Social Networking Services as a dominant context in today’s society. Through the depiction of the nude figure my work explores various aspects of social media and the Internet and their influence on contemporary society, with focus on the way we communicate and represent ourselves through selfies, emojis and hashtags. It was for this reason that it become conceptually apt to source almost all of the images that make up this exhibition from online platforms through Google searches and Tumblr sites.

 

I look at the contemporary overlap between public and private spaces and play on the relationship between these two states; connecting the privacy of nudity and figure drawing with public art forms such as graffiti and advertising media. Social media has, in general, blurred the once defined divide between public and private space; Sharing of private moments on semi-public platforms has become the norm. The nude figure becomes symbolic of ‘exposure’; displaying ourselves and intimate moments for more likes and follows.