VHS Tape Artworks
Nick Gentry's VHS artworks expose a mosaic of obsolete media beneath the surface of portraiture. They prompt reflection on identity, truth, deep fakes, and algorithmic video feeds, echoing Neil Postman's "amusing ourselves to death." The works also examine the performative nature of politics, where staged personas and manipulated narratives blur reality and spectacle.
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Nick Gentry's VHS artworks delve into the complexities of identity and truth in the digital age, utilising obsolete media as a metaphor for the shifting nature of reality. These portraits, constructed from donated VHS tapes, expose a mosaic of fragmented memories and cultural artifacts, prompting reflection on how technology shapes our understanding of self and the world around us.
The use of VHS tapes as a medium is symbolic. These once ubiquitous objects, now largely obsolete, represent a bygone era of analogue technology. By incorporating them into his portraits, Gentry creates a visual dialogue between the past and the present, highlighting the rapid pace of technological change and its impact on our lives.
The VHS artworks also explore the theme of truth in a world increasingly saturated with misinformation and deep fakes. The ability to manipulate and distort reality through technology raises questions about the authenticity of what we see and hear. Gentry's works, with their fragmented and layered aesthetic, serve as a visual metaphor for this distorted reality, prompting us to question the nature of truth in the digital age.
Furthermore, the VHS artworks examine the performative nature of contemporary culture, particularly in the realm of politics. The carefully constructed images and narratives presented through media often obscure the complexities and contradictions of reality. Gentry's works, with their exposed layers and fragmented forms, challenge this curated facade, revealing the artifice and manipulation that often lie beneath the surface.
Through their unique visual language and thought-provoking themes, Nick Gentry's VHS artworks invite viewers to contemplate the complexities of identity, truth, and the human condition in a technology-driven world. They challenge us to question the narratives we are presented with and to seek a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
'Archived Star' 2022
'Candidate A' 2022
'Icon 2' 2023
'Skin Deep' 2023
'The Fool' 2023
'VCR Superstar' 2022
'Fallen Figure' 2022
'Lost Idol' 2022
'Actor 1' 2022
'Viewing Figures' 2022
'Analogue Montage Number 1' 2023
'1984' 2022
'Lost Action Hero' 2022
'Bug' 2023
'ID Construct 1' 2023
'Matrix' 2021
'2001' 2023
'Protagonist 1' 2022
'Mask' 2023
'Recorder' 2023