The Price of Illusion

The work investigates 'The Illusion of the Self', exploring the commodification of contemporary identity through a sharp pop lens. On a chaotic backdrop of supermarket flyers, which reduce every value to a sale price, stands the quintessential illusory promise: a 'NEW YOU' to buy, packaged in a neon-colored blister. Identity becomes a '100% synthetic' product, built to cater to the society of appearances. The core of the work is the violent visual and emotional contrast between the garish packaging of the artificial ego and the monochrome, anguished face of the authentic self trapped inside it. As revealed by the cynical disclaimer at the base of the work — 'The image is for illustrative purposes only. Happiness is not included' — the illusion of being able to wear a prefab personality proves to be what it is: an emotional con that leaves the individual emptied.

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