Kristin McIver

Kristin McIver's concern with mechanics and observation is seen by her examination of vocabulary and data analysis used by and employed on the web. McIver proposes that ideologies presented by new communication – images, text messaging and branding – powered by advancing dissemination methods and driven by market forces, become referents for new models of personal and global identity. The Data Portraits are part of McIver’s Selfie Project, which examines the autobiographical nature of images and their use in biometric surveillance (facial recognition technology) on social media networks. The paintings interpret faceprint data into unique pixel portraits of individuals who have experienced a certain level of fame. They appropriate both the scale and color palette of Andy Warhol’s 1964 Marilyn series, referencing Warhol’s deification of the celebrities and his expression: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes," reinterpreted for the digital age as “everyone will be famous to 1500 followers.” Expanding on these works are the Typecast Series, highlighting the uniformity of self-representation and composition of the selfies and online personas that the Data Portraits take their form from.

Submitted by Jane Lombard Gallery