This exhibition examines some of the prevailing ways in which ordinariness circulates in the presentday. By ordinary, I simply mean something ‘normal’ or ‘common’, something lacking any atypical or unusual features; something that is not necessarily special nor different. Here, I trace some of the normative habits and practices put to work at the intersection of technology, identity, and emotion – three key areas where my portrait is situated.

 

It is now ordinary for one to live out multiple and overlapping lives through manifold social networks; to selectively upload curated, manicured and upgraded versions of oneself; and to become absorbed in, and identify with, the many myriads of Truths available, substantiated or otherwise.

 

New media is fast. Really fast.

 

And we’re busy, very busy.

 

Continuous streams of condensed and over-determined packets of meaning-making neatly packaged in high-intensity and short durational forms constantly hit us in fun and frenzied ways. Buy now / Like and share / Subscribe. Moreover, the technology that sustains these ubiquitous affective capacities is readily available, easily accessible, and offers a seemingly infinite array of opportunities for enjoyment.

 

It’s exciting, emotional stuff. And we’re all hooked.

 

So, within this frame, what might it mean to be ‘ordinary’ in contemporary life?

 

Take, for instance, a highly mediated climate where unsubstantiated claims can rapidly and uncritically gain currency; that we may be ready to love and hate without knowing why – how might this impede on our collective well-being?

 

Or consider the speed in which this moves. Consider how overly occupied we are. Consider our sleep deprivation – techno-emotive-identification is exhausting and fatiguing stuff. How much does this impact our awareness? Or should I say, how far will our lack of awareness continue to slip and slide?

 

There is much in the way of malaise and disillusionment that has emerged with the formation of this new status quo. Block / Delete / Report. But while the ease with which certain ways of being-in-the-world are often put to work in precarious ways, possibilities for collective well-being are simultaneously made available. Indeed, while there is trouble, there is also optimism.

 

With this series of paintings and video installations, I express a critical attitude towards the ordinary without awareness. Each painting is a whole in and of itself alongside a part of the greater portrait. From the formation of a life, to its journey of becoming, to its range of results and possibilities, in this opus of 20 works I have left room for everyone to work through their own perspectives.

 

The task of the artist is not to give answers, but to ask the right questions.