Six years ago some creative friends held a home art show.  I was invited to participate, but lacked any works of artistic merit to present.  So instead I whipped up some — let’s call it meta art? — in the form of an absurdly pretentious photo exhibit.  The photos came from a then-recent trip to Scandinavia I had taken with my friend Kevin (and I’m sure he is going to be thrilled that I’m posting this…).  The text was generated with the help of a site called the Arty Bollocks Generator.  The outfit was assembled at Goodwill for a few bucks.

In honor of the sixth anniversary of the debut, here is my “art” reformatted to fit your screen…

And of their shadows deep

Artist Statement

My work explores the relationship between new class identities and urban spaces.

With influences as diverse as Machiavelli and L Ron Hubbard, new insights are distilled from both mundane and transcendant textures.

Ever since I was a teenager I have been fascinated by the unrelenting divergence of meaning. What starts out as triumph soon becomes debased into a manifesto of temptation, leaving only a sense of nihilism and the possibility of a new reality.

As wavering replicas become frozen through emergent and personal practice, the viewer is left with a statement of the limits of our existance.

daniel_silverman

Untitled

The subject strikes a defiant pose as oppressive shadows dominate his reality. He stands astride two worlds: modern concrete hosts oblivious passerby, while century-old iron symbolizes both the strength and strictures of the ruling order. Locks left by young lovers serve as a poignant reminder of what we have lost.

Lithograph – Date Unknown

Thirst

A comically small beverage transport vehicle reveals what sale signs hide: a scarcity of basic necessities in this impoverished land.  Note the subject’s suntering gait and open posture – he is clearly overjoyed to be able to at last obtain sweet sustenance.  Shortly after this photo was taken, the beverage truck turned down an alley and sped away.

Daguerrotype – 2012

Fracures

The subject’s half-smile and wide stance suggest he has found some measure of freedom at last, but the nature of his fragmented reality becomes clear on closer inspection. The building behind him is no more than a drawing, the crashed trolley car merely an artist’s illusion.  His partially-closed hands suggest the beginnings of realization of his true predicament.

Lithograph – 2012

Omens

While the subject enjoys a brief moment of respite in this vacation snapshot, he does not sense the danger posed by the dark and creepy animals nearby.  Raised tails and pointed ears suggest preparation for a mauling while our oblivious subject sits defenseless.  This is the last recorded image of this unnamed citizen, his eventual fate remains a mystery.

Polaroid Snapshot – 2012