Ariel Adams
BFA: Art with Studio Emphasis in Painting - Illustration Certificate
Artist Name:
Ariel Adams
Work Title:
Your Body Funds Genocide
Medium:
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Statement:
In my piece I aim to translate the dissonance I feel between day-to-day, normalized overconsumption and what the average consumer's money goes to. As we feed into the image of ourselves and of luxury that is constantly sold to us, we buy into companies such as Walmart, Starbucks, McDonalds, and more featured in my piece. These companies consistently practice unethical business in order to keep their prices low and use their profits to fund world wide oppression and violence. As a feminine presenting person I must also confront the demand from society at large for constant maintenance of my body in regards to weight, beauty, and aging with the motivation of profit above all else. In a society so entrenched in misogynistic and individualistic thinking, watching ads for cute new swimsuits or the newest seasonal coffee, for example, are beginning to feel uniquely dissociative and dystopian. In my piece, "Your body funds genocide," I aim to present these feelings and highlight the deceitful marketing tactics of so many large companies in the United States.
Artist Bio:
In their work Ariel Adams tackles topics of gender and economy in the United States through a feminist, genderqueer, and anti-capitalist lense. With acrylic paints and large canvases they create bold compositions with bright colors and broad strokes. They incorporate typography and careful studies from life. They use colors similar to popular American brands and closely study advertising to create eye-catching pieces which subvert the viewers expectations regarding brand imagery. Ariel uses surrealist yet recognizable imagery in order to effectively communicate the message within each of their pieces, urging the viewer to more deeply analyze their relationship with popular culture and overconsumption.