Julie Jablonski

About the Artist

My work takes an unflinching look at how identity is fabricated in media culture as a taste-making standard to be consumed by the viewing public. I explore obsession with consumption and celebrity as catalysts for narcissistic ideals, psychopathic tendencies and detachment from empathetic sensibilities. I employ the look, feel and language of mass media as strategies to critique this very system.

Each piece is a slick and meticulously planned invention that echoes the manner in which a product is branded. To create tension and drama, I play with scale, figure-ground relationship, theatricality, humor, expressive brushstrokes, anxiety-laden disparities and ironic messaging via overlaid phrases. Text laser-cut from mirrored and metallic plastic recalls self-absorption, superficiality and delusions of grandeur. Celebrity icons and objects from media and consumer culture serve as subject matter. These paintings and sculptures encourage contemplation about how personal identity can be packaged and sold.