ARTIST STATEMENT
Terms & Conditions is a series of photographs and collages that interpret the relationship between social media use, the negative implications of excessive e-consumerism in beauty markets, and the Internet’s obsession with the pursuit of beauty. Through this series, I am reflecting on the continuous trend cycle that colored my early online experiences and its looming presence in the contemporary social media landscape. By photographing and collaging my own beauty products, I am identifying myself as an active participant in the mania of trend-following. Thus, Terms & Conditions functions as the self-reflective examination of an insider and not a detached critical response. I experiment with the rules of advertising photography as a way to situate this work as an analog to the e-beauty market. In order to subvert these conventions, I digitally colorize and distort my black-and-white photographs and collages. These interventions mimic the highly constructed nature of online identity and reinterpret the beauty product as an idol to be worshiped and feared.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Nora Benjamin (b. 1999) is an experimental photographer and collagist based in Chicago.
In her photographs and collages, Nora uses a visual language heavily influenced by surrealism. Her work often explores themes of delirium, hyperconsumerism, and identity. She experiments with color, distorted perspectives, and other techniques to create imagery that evokes a sense of a dream-like state. Her work challenges viewers to consider how modern culture distorts reality and shapes our perception. She graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta with a B.F.A. in Commercial Photography and a minor in Advertising and Branding: Art Direction. Nora also holds an M.F.A. in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. She is currently teaching as an adjunct professor at Purdue University Northwest.
© Nora Benjamin