Put a finger down if you've ever been personally victimized by social media algorithms

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MFA Thesis Exhibition

University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG) - Waterloo, Ontario

April 7 - 22, 2022

Documentation by Scott Lee

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Artist Statement

Put a finger down if you’ve ever been personally victimized by social media algorithms is a collection of generative artworks created in response to algorithmically-determined social media content. Using TikTok, I have deliberately engaged with viral trends that serve as digital microaggressions, such as body and slut shaming, the glorification of mental health disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and ‘it girl’ routines in order to carefully curate an endless stream of content. Using a variety of mediums, I reinterpret this content in order to offer the viewer a glimpse into this playful yet hateful side of social media, which has been normalized in pop culture and to acknowledge the negative impacts of this content on women-identified and BIPOC individuals and other marginalized groups.

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List of works:

1. What it means to be a girl, series of 61 oil stick drawings on sketchbook paper, 11"X14", 2022.

2. Becoming 'That Girl', oil stick on canvas, 6'X8', 2022.

3. You're So Easy, oil stick on canvas, 6'X8', 2021. 

4. Nice Rack, linoleum print on t-shirts, installation, 2022.

5. Thicker Than a Snickers I, oil stick on canvas, 6'X8', 2021.

6. Thicker Than a Snickers II, linoleum print on t-shirts, installation, 2022. 

7. Hot Girls Have Digestive Issues, water based paint and oil stick on canvas stuffed with couch foam and pillow filling, 2022. 

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