Stichbury’s subjects possess an unearthly, distorted countenance—their visages are devoid of life and instead exude a chilling sterility and distance that echoes the airbrushed simulation and uncanny perfection prized in postmodern conceptions of beauty. These portraits do not depict individuals, rather archetypal personas; his subjects are culled from contemporary media and pop-cultural imagery, spanning vernacular sources such as glossy fashion magazines, advertising campaigns, yearbooks and online fashion model go-sees. These highly-stylized portraits represent anthropomorphic façades that are as much elusive enigmas, ones that mirror the very fabrication thatoccurs when creating an idealized virtual identity within such social environments like Facebook, Second Life, and Chat Roulette.
Peter Stichbury showing at Tracy Williams LTD. through Oct 30th.
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