/artist statement/

People imitate things all the time. Kids copy annoying cartoon characters. Reporters reiterate the same news. You mimic your friends’ mannerisms. If people are performing, can you accept your interactions or responses as genuine? At what point do you forget your own beliefs? What if you can’t exactly articulate what it is that you’re copying? Why try too hard if there’s a readymade identity right there for the taking?
 
Sometimes that mimicry is intentional. Sometimes it's subconscious, and sometimes it's somewhere in between. I think in a lot of cases mimicry happens because of a need for societal or cultural acceptance.
 
I've been unhappy. It's taken me some time to figure out why. Am I true to myself? Am I an original or a copy? Does it matter if I’m a copy? Is the cure more painful than the illness?
 
The overarching aesthetic of @EVERYBODY FLEXING is repetitive, visually chaotic, and potentially overwhelming. The various elements contain both abstract and concrete statements about place, happiness, and fulfillment.
 
Dedicated to my friends.

@EVERYBODY FLEXING contains 10 4'x4' masonite panels, two projections, and crumpled flyers