Jordan Eden

Anti-Social Media - Mixed media - Not for Sale

Artist's Statement

We are regularly faced with narrow beauty standards and these are conducive to a negative culture of  obsessing over one’s physical appearance and altering them to meet these standards. As means of retribution for these feelings, I sit in front of my mirror and confront myself through painting me as I am in that moment, allowing my internal emotional state to manifest itself in the painting. I call these my selfies because the goal of my work is reminiscent of that of social media in how I am sharing these images with the world and seeking validation. However, I am only seeking validation from myself, and as such, I refer to them as my “antisocial media”. Many people on social media are looking for validation that they are successful, beautiful and fall within the norm as compared to their peers. This is inherent behavior of humans; however, the problem occurs when the image that people project is just a façade, or an idealized version of a person. I catch myself looking to these humanoids on my phones and suddenly feeling inadequate because I cannot measure up to these impossible standards. These frequent selfies aid in my self-image by confronting myself and I hope the viewer can acknowledge the reality of the ebb and flow of feeling comfortable in one’s own skin. 

Artist's Instagram

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)