Radio Cowboy, acrylic on canvas, fiber fill, thread, interactive Instagram “thought bubble” made from various fabrics, 74 x 58 x 12 inches, 2020
This new series, Social Media Cowboys, explores the stories we tell ourselves and others, especially on social media. The crafting of self identity and the performative quality of life, exerts an unprecedented pressure which falls disproportionately on girls or young women. Cal Newport discusses in his book The Banishment of Solitude, how as a culture we are grappling with the utter loss of solitude and boredom, which is re-circuiting our brains and causing overwhelming anxiety. The cowboy, especially the “urban hipster cowboy crooner”, has become a very crafted identity. One that is rooted in the mythological cowboy who came to symbolize the frontier. The cowboy is a layered symbol for how to talk about the frontier of social media and it’s effects on us neurologically, and emotionally. I have painted several “cowboys,” cut them from the stretcher and stuffed them. Radio Cowboy is fringed and has an interactive thought bubble with interchangeable emoji and “comments” sourced from the model’s own social media account.
