Paintings / Festmények /

Inspired by social media posing trends, I wanted to create a contemporary self-portrait where authentic self-representation is replaced by inauthentic self-exposure. Where beauty interventions and posing, familiar even to the youngest age groups, standardize people. The T-Rex hands pose was introduced by beauty blogger Huda Kattan with the phrase: “Guys you might feel a bit weird at first, but trust me – your selfies will never be the same again once you learn how to embrace T-Rex Hands!” To emphasize excessive individualization and narcissism as the ultimate goal, the figure illuminates itself. (Its special feature is that the painting is made in the dark and midtone range without highlights.)

Without the subtitle I wrote for the image, the painting remains incomprehensible. Much like real "in memoriam" inscriptions, the text is intertwined with the artwork. The painting is a reflection on the incredible amount of conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific news experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which goes beyond personal harm. Inspired by a discovery from Herculaneum, this composition is based on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (January 22, 2020). The research suggests that the extreme heat from the Mount Vesuvius eruption was so intense that it turned a victim's brain into glass. This became the perfect visual metaphor for my work. I supplemented the black, shiny, glassy remains of a man's brain from the original picture with organic, dendrite-like extensions.