#mirrorselfies opens February 16, 2021 at TAG Gallery, 5458 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. TAG is open 11am-5pm, Tue-Sat.
“I paint portraits of people as they like to see themselves in the mirror,” tells TAG artist Eran Barnea. “Selfies are posted on social media to get likes. They are a visual manifestation of this age of individualism and self-determination—everyone takes a selfie. Everyone is an artist.”
In his current body of fine art works, Eran examines the social phenomenon and questions its cultural definitions and semantics. He uses recycled materials like cardboard and packaging paper to symbolically represent the dispensability of the digital images. The average lifespan of an Instagram post is 24 hours.
“I like to capture mirror selfies, where people take full body photos,” continues the artist. “The trend highlights a set of conventional poses but the backgrounds behind are completely random. Bathroom selfies are the best, with their unintentional contrast between the public nature of the post, and the intimate privacy of the location.”
“As an artist I apply no judgment on the subject, I don’t pose the models but merely copy their aesthetic judgement, or the lack of it.”
About the Gallery: TAG is a fine art gallery located on Museum Row in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1993, the gallery represents award-winning contemporary Southern California artists working in all mediums and styles.