Safety First
Canvas
2019.05
New York, NY
Aerosol and Acrylic on Canvas
121.9 x 182.9 cm |
48 x 72
in
This work functions as a deliberately snarky visual commentary on the security-industrial complex and its ongoing effort to rebrand systems of control, surveillance, and enforcement as friendly, benign, and ultimately beneficial to everyday life. Drawing directly from the visual language and character designs of security personnel featured in my graphic novel The Solar Grid, the piece isolates and exaggerates familiar motifs from that fictional world in order to reflect on their real-world counterparts. What is presented at first glance as approachable and even charming is, upon closer inspection, a carefully constructed facade that masks a far more unsettling infrastructure.
Formally, the work also operates as a quiet homage to Andy Warhol’s Silver Elvis series, borrowing from its seriality, iconic flattening, and cool, reflective detachment. The reference underscores how power, when aestheticized, becomes easier to accept, and how imagery plays a crucial role in normalizing systems that might otherwise provoke discomfort or critique.
Central to the design is the helmet, which is studded with an array of “eyes” and camera lenses. The multiplicity of lenses implies omnidirectional vision and heightened awareness, reinforcing the idea of constant monitoring while simultaneously rendering it visually playful. Surveillance here is not hidden or covert; it is flaunted, stylized, and rendered almost decorative, mirroring how contemporary surveillance technologies are often marketed as smart, efficient, and user-friendly.
Completing the figure is a painted-on smile, borrowed directly from the language of animated cartoons. This exaggerated expression introduces an artificial cheerfulness that clashes with the implications of the helmet’s watchful gaze. The smile functions as a mask—an affect of warmth and friendliness that attempts to soften the underlying reality of control and scrutiny. By juxtaposing cartoonish optimism with overt surveillance cues, the piece highlights the tension between appearance and function, exposing how aesthetics are used to disarm critical awareness. In doing so, the work invites viewers to question not only the imagery itself, but the broader cultural narratives that encourage us to accept ever-expanding systems of security as harmless, protective, and even comforting.