BRIEF: “Hot, Hot, Hot!” is a series of static and animated digital art reflecting on love, longing, and existential loneliness. A self-exploration of the feminine form; an introspective odyssey upon the digital seas only touching briefly the sensual shores of the real world.

BACKGROUND:

Reflecting on love, longing, and existential loneliness, “Hot, Hot, Hot!” series is self-exploration of the feminine form; an introspective odyssey upon the digital seas only touching briefly the un-retouched shores of the real world (of profit maximization, rent-seeking algorithms, censorship, and other predatory intrusions of data privacy & autonomy).

For millennia the feminine form has been appropriated, commodified, objectified, curated, policed, and brutalized by men and for the male gaze… and the algorithms (created predominantly by men) that perpetuate this cycle in digital forms.

Today, unconditional self-acceptance of feminine bodies remains an act of radical self-love and still carries the risk of violence in a deeply misogynist culture. The luxury of safe self-expression is elusive; only further complicated by age, color, creed, sex, gender, ability, sexuality, and class. Whether it be in real or digital spaces, feminine bodies are treated with a spectrum of toxic hostile reactions from self-appointed patriarchal enforcers who take it upon themselves to steal joy, love, life, and happiness from any female (sex or gendered) persons that exercise their self-sovereignty in public or private; real or digital spaces. Despite the culture of terror and repression, the feminine aspect of humanity is asserting herself and sisters are embodying in their power.

PROCESS:

When company is scarce to come by, I find comfort in my reflection. Practice has made it easy to love the person I see shining back at me in the mirror. My essence is reflected in these quiet moments of solitude. Bathed in light — I capture my feelings as photographic images using an iPhone 12 ProMax. As I play, I refine my composition, lighting, and postures to match my energetic vision in the moment. Once the images have been captured, I edit using Procreate glitch and liquefaction distortions; and adjust colors to translate a once mundane setting into a surreal fluid landscape of dissolving scenery — preserving just enough un-retouched skin to communicate the transcendent essence of each moment and the vulnerable beauty of the human body; of the feminine corporeal form.

INQUIRY:

When the last grain of dust settles on the digital frontier what will the real world look and feel like? Will NFB’s (non-fungible-beings) and their fleshy forms be treasured or despised? Will the real world lay in rubble? Does a world still reeling from the pandemic return to desperately pressing flesh against flesh; or will glass, silicone, and electricity be the sole comforts accessible to those inside of a deepening dystopian nightmare?

What does love, intimacy, and vulnerability look and feel like in the future? How does it feel in the present? As HD gives way to 4K, 6K, 8K, AR, and VR, how far can we, and will we, push ourselves across the world; across the universe — at the speed of light — in search of love?