American Consumerism
Diptych Series
Ink-Jet Print
2025American Consumerism (1/9)
Diptych Series
Ink-Jet Print
2025
American Consumerism (3/9)
Diptych Series
Ink-Jet Print
2025American Consumerism (2/9)
Diptych Series
Ink-Jet Print
2025
A Dollar’s Worth (2025)
Ink-Jet Prints
In American culture, identity takes a critical role in establishing the norms that affect individual lives. It is through social constructions that various minority groups have simultaneously faced oppression and sought refuge. Yet, in our modern age, rampant capitalist growth has led to trends of commodification, where identities are compacted into consumer products, prepackaged and marketed directly towards communities. Accordingly, "A Dollar’s Worth" takes two experiences, whose fundamental association often goes overlooked in mass culture, and places them in a contrasting yet coordinated setting. Using a minimalist composition, the diptychs invite the viewer to confront the relationship between the two subjects while leaving room for interpretation. The series is heavily inspired by Roni Horn, whose work aims to create deeply contemplative explorations of gender, androgyny, and nature through side-by-side portraits. Similarly, "A Dollar’s Worth" aspires to concentrate on American consumerism and its adaptation to and influence upon perceptions of identity. Each diptych is a contrast between a human subject and various alterations of consumer products. The products aim to embody cultural ideas of masculinity, patriotism, queerness, and religion through subverting product design and functionality. Each portrait implements a composition that seeks to visualize simple —and perhaps intimate—studies of queer models. In placing product photos beside these portraits, this series visualizes the social acceptance priced goods’ dictation of identity. The portraits provide the viewer with a vague indication of the models’ specific identity, while the products offer assimilation into clearly defined archetypes. Taking from the common saying, "A Dollar’s Worth" aims to show the dollar’s true value to modern social life.