Mad Hatters 2017

Mark Kostabi’s “Mad Hatters” presents three figures absorbed by the screens in their hands, rendered in bold blocks of primary colours. It’s like he’s asking, “What does it mean to be human in the digital age?” Kostabi's figures are smooth and sleek, almost mannequin-like, lacking individual features. The surfaces of their bodies and the hats are rendered in single blocks of colour, heightening the sense of anonymity. I love the way he uses colour to separate and define each figure, creating a kind of visual rhythm across the canvas. The contrast with the black background amplifies the artificiality of the scene, like a stage set for a play about modern life. It reminds me of the work of Giorgio de Chirico, another artist who explored the alienation of modern life through surreal and dreamlike imagery. Like De Chirico, Kostabi invites us to consider the strange and unsettling aspects of contemporary existence.