Conceptually this series breaks down the constructs of societal expectations of how men are expected to act due to hegemonic masculinity and it shows the lives of those who live outside of what society considers “normal” due to this expectation.
The process of databending an image by editing it as audio was used in order to begin to expose the constructs that society begins to put people into. This process creates a difference in colors creating vibrant reds and bright pinks along with electric blues and a radioactive green color.
Half of the facial expressions are meant to be relatively blank so it seems like they aren’t actively showing any emotion or characteristic. In this half of the piece (7 of the 13 images) depicts the expectation that men don’t show any kind of emotion, especially around others. The second half of the facial expressions further show how men can show different emotions like happiness. These images are shown through more comedic facial expressions being broken up with smiles and the tongue. This half is meant to show a characteristic that men are typically not allowed to show around others.
The title Hedonist Altarpiece comes from the opposition to the traditional male archetype that men should be stoic and strong. In a sense, this archetype means that men should act in ways that are in contrary to being in touch with their emotions and in contrast with being happy since they are being repressed. Hedonism as a philosophy seeks to pursue pleasure so that one can become happy which would be the opposite of this archetype. By borrowing a format similar to Renaissance altarpieces for the display of these images, it further shows the juxtaposition between the reality of the expectation and how some can live.
