Artwork Appreciation: Magician

Students Name: Janey Zheng

Title: Magician

Work type: Digital Art-critical analyses

Category: Illustration

Size: 5x7

According to Janey, the work “Magician” explores the exploitative relationship between humans and the animal world. Performing on the reversed hourglass in the center, the rabbit magician throws out colorful ribbons and flying humans representing pigeons. This reversal of roles examines the conflicts beneath our interactions with nature. Symbols of restricted expression, such as the silenced mermaid and tied masks, help spotlight the lack of understanding covered by the beauty of a performance. As flames arise from the bottom of the hourglass, all that is beautiful will sink into the “sea of fire.” The broken carousel serves as a sacrifice for the show, reminding us of a heartbreaking reality beneath the deceptive performance. I invite the audience to sit back and reflect on the invisible cost behind the entertainment we enjoy.

The work is an exploration of the facade we see in the media. How we are entertained by the “spectacle”. Guy Debord seminal work in 1967 wrote The Society of the Spectacle where he argues that modern life has been completely taken over by a "Spectacle"—a social relationship between people that is mediated by imagery. Rather than a collection of media broadcasts, the Spectacle is a comprehensive system of representation that replaces authentic lived experience with passive consumption and appearance. Arguably this is now more relevant with our consumption of social media and idolization of imagery, “truth”, and how society engages with one another through a controlled system and its effects in the world.

（By Omar Gallegos，WCAAD Vice Principal and Director of Education）