gaze.mp4, 2023.
Materials
1 hr.
1080 px by 1080 px
Description
This piece subtly hints at the iconic smiley face originally designed by Harvey Ball, reimagined within the context of modern art and audience interaction. It starts as a vibrant celebration of joy, with a simple happy face set against a bright yellow backdrop. This familiar symbol, deeply embedded in pop culture, undergoes a profound transformation over an hour, evolving from a cheerful expression to a blank, featureless face.
The artwork's metamorphosis is a meditation on the impact of collective observation and the digital age on our perception of art. It suggests that the essence and emotional depth of a piece can diminish under constant scrutiny and overexposure, reflecting on the transient nature of beauty and meaning in art. While subtly nodding to its pop culture roots, this piece primarily focuses on the dynamics between art, its viewers, and the changing context of art appreciation in a world inundated with visual stimuli. It challenges viewers to reflect on how their engagement with art shapes and sometimes diminishes the very essence of what they are observing.