Vanity Mirror examines the shifting dynamic between art and the viewer, challenging the vanity of viewership in today’s art market. The 2010s witnessed the rise of post-internet art and a saturation of work that allowed for individual artistic representation. However, today’s art galleries have increasingly become spaces for being seen by others. Under this paradigm of selfie culture, art museums become a place where current feel-good platitudes morph into tomorrow’s pure visual sedation, stripped of intellectual pretense showcasing a consumer-optimized art business that encourages passive viewership. The digital documentation of self within an art space becomes a projection of culture, status, and experience for art goers to paste outwardly. Turning artworks rich in meaning and complexity into a thin broth of visual allure and trend thinking.
The work is designed to capitalize on the vanity of passive viewers, actively live-streaming interactive visuals for gallery-goers, encouraging a reaction via cell phones. If a cellphone is detected, the entire experience shifts: a massive spamming of Pinterest art museum pins, art selfies from instagram, and surveillance images flood the screens. Drawing attention towards the media aggregation within art posting and imposing upon the viewer a moment of thought.
Luke McCutcheon
(He/Him)
Currently Living and working out of Toronto Ontario, Luke McCutcheon is a lens-based photographer/artist Interested in mixed material design and installation. His practice works with nuanced histories, contemporary issues, and Scientific structures. Working mostly through installation, Luke’s approach is grounded in the visual and spacial impact of a story.