Artist Statement
Surveillance capitalism is the new economic system in which we live. Human behavior becomes commodified data. My work explores this environment, turning this concept into a physical form.
I focus on images that are targeted personally to me on social media. By curating these advertisements, and transforming them through various acts of artmaking, I am able to reclaim ownership of my data and create a new image that is my own.
My social life and habits are now tracked. This includes my location, the people with which I surround myself, what I am buying and which websites I visit. Now that we carry computers in our pockets, technology companies are able to collect increasing amounts of data on a daily basis.
While frequent, the data collection process remains secretive and hidden, which I want to draw more attention to through the creation of lens-based works. The large size of the display requires a viewer to take notice. I enhance the digital errors in the images to mirror the mistakes made by algorithms and targeted advertisements.
The extent and the amount of data collected is alarming. At the same time, privacy is a relatively new concept. In my work, I want to investigate the effects of surveillance capitalism on individualism, sovereignty, and the personal sphere. What I once treated with ambivalence has become a topic of concern and research – and an inspiration for my artistic process. The work asks the viewer to examine how they are being targeted by technology companies and how their personal data has become a resource, shaping their lives and actions.
