'3 Million Dislikes'

The first piece is called 'The Sound of 3 Million Dislikes' and is a portrait of Beauty Influencer James Charles, who on May 11, 2019, became the first-ever YouTube personality to lose over 1 million subscribers in 24 hours. It is a Data-Driven artwork, the subject chosen after careful analysis of Google Search Data, and the piece raises questions over the mutability of fame, as well as questioning the algorithms themselves that promote divisive content. The images themselves have manipulated using AI, and are to an extent algorithmic, even programmatic. Bright colours obfuscate the tragedy that lies beneath. What does it mean to be the internet's most hated man? What does it feel like to lose control of your image? and what does it say about our culture... Public Shaming was frequent up until the 19th century when it was banned. What makes it acceptable, even encouraged today? The pornstar August Ames (23) took her life after being publicly shamed, as did Television Presenter and 'Love Island' Host Caroline Flack (40) pictured in ‘Suicide at 23’ (2)  and ‘One Way to End a Career’ (3). The subject is particularly pertinent for an artist who in a past life was a Gossip Columnist for one of the UK's most salacious papers. 

I hope exhibiting these portraits will act as a kind of eulogy allowing us to critically reflect on our culture and make a conscious decision to change. Angus Deyn is both artist and writer, working mostly in the realm of the digital.

https://www.ofluxo.net/homo-homologies-armitage-myrup-by-angus-deyn/