Articulations of the Self 7 2015

"Articulations of the Self 7" by Amir Baradaran seems to be a still from a video artwork, with a monitor showing a man in a suit. He looks somber, maybe even a little lost, against an urban backdrop. Baradaran’s process feels like an examination of identity through the lens of performance, very interesting. There's a stark contrast between the red light reflecting off the building in the background and the grey, almost drained tones of the video. It creates a sense of unease. The texture of the monitor screen, with its visible scan lines, is a reminder of the digital interface shaping our perception, like the world is only revealed in low res. You know, this piece kinda reminds me of the work of Nam June Paik, who explored the poetics of television and technology. Both artists invite us to think about how technology mediates our understanding of ourselves and the world. I love that art can be so ambiguous, refusing to give us easy answers.