Michael Jackson: Urban Pop Icon
The only thing that ever really makes me feel better is to give. So this is my gift to you.
Below is my artist statement so that you can see this type of work is and has always been part of my vision as an artist and "what I'm up to" when I'm working. Opportunist I tend not to be, but this moment in time is tragically coded in my DNA. In other words, this is a moment when things I've been contemplating and examining are in sync with the emotions I am feeling. This is work whose time has unfortunately come.
Celebrate life for it is fleeting and precious. Embrace who you are because you are wonderful. Define yourself lest you allow others to define you. Be courageously proud of who you are while embracing the diversity gifted to us by God. If you are a blank slate then this steam roller we call pop culture will write it's vision of you all over your face. So dance boldly to your own song, paint your own portrait and respect the right of others to do the very same thing.
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Artist Statement
There is one constant in life, art and the space in between and that constant is change. “We are much more alike than we are different” and I believe that we are most similar in our fear of change. These are two of the guiding principles in my life and art and my work is an exploration and celebration of each principle.
In the current phase of my work I often appropriate iconic imagery from canonical art movements and artists. I merge these histories with distinctly African-American cultural content and perspective. My intent is to expose the blindness of traditional art history and pop culture, while reflecting on the complexity and malleability of the African-American experience. The work is also an examination on the effects of the fear of change on art history and the African-American experience.
Art for me is an honest expression of the divinity within each of us and allows me the freedom to explore my relationship with change. My intention is to engage the viewer in a way that encourages one to contemplate how we see the world and to challenge our notions about historical events, art, pop culture and so called sub-culture. I believe that notions of self are developed in direct relationship to the images and information provided to us via the media, religion and our respective peer groups and families. I am interested in exploring and examining the power of art and imagery to create, inform and alter perceived reality while demonstrating the transformative power of change.
For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net
