Publication Date

Spring 4-29-2026

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Nina Rizzo

Second Advisor

Francis Trankina

Third Advisor

James Obermeier

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Department

School of Art and Design

Abstract

This thesis presents a body of paintings that explore the tension between lived experience, memory, and digitally constructed identity. Through layered narrative compositions, the work examines how individuals navigate and internalize multiple versions of themselves within an increasingly image-driven and digitally mediated world. Familiar objects, childhood references, and symbolic imagery serve as accessible entry points, while distortions in scale, composition, and material disrupt immediate recognition and invite active interpretation.

By integrating vivid color, dense compositions, and tactile elements such as polymer clay, the paintings emphasize the contrast between physical materiality and the flatness of digital screens. The recurring square format references social media structures, reinforcing the pressure to compress complex identities into simplified, consumable images. This interplay between familiarity and instability reflects both nostalgia and the psychological strain of contemporary digital culture.

Ultimately, the work inhabits the space between physical and digital realities without resolving their contradictions, instead encouraging sustained looking and critical reflection. By foregrounding material presence and perceptual tension, the thesis asserts the enduring relevance of painting as a site for examining identity, perception, and meaning-making in an era defined by accelerated visual consumption and shifting modes of self-representation.

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