25 march - 19 may 2003 cafe opera   croydon clocktower   katharine st   croydon

Since the 50s youth culture has defined itself with music in much the same way that people in the past were defined by their religion or social class. As we enter the new millenium the number of musical genres and styles means that there are many sects that a young person can chose to associate themselves with. Where once religious leaders dictated the rules and values that we lived our lives by, it now seems that the media - print, radio and television have become the new bibles for youth culture. Young people seem to see their chosen idol as somebody who they can look up to, attempt to emulate and admire their looks, clothing, general attitude but it is only the cardboard cutout image that they have been presented with. The fan does not really know this person but has placed upon their image a personality derived from the highly selective information given.

The work I have prepared for the exhibition takes the form of pairs of portraits - a rock star and a fan. The star is surrounded by a double line representing a halo - to signify their god-like status to their fans and some are based on traditional religious icons. They are shown on plain backgrounds to compound the sense of separateness that the star seeks to convey and guitars are featured heavily as the ultimate rock god symbol. Words and phrases, occasionally lines from songs are used to convey thoughts and ideas about the musician. I have used quotes from the NME - the New Musical Express - an indie music magazine and taken inspiration from their covers and articles to create a fake cover which brings all the ideas about this project together (shown on the homepage). In contrast the fans are shown in everyday situations but it is the details of their dress and style that indicate their own particular idol - poses and/or colours are echoed to give a sense of kinship. Words and phrases are again used to convey ideas about the sitter and symbols give clues to the fans' chosen rock idol - as in the heart-shaped box in 'my sis in flares' shown above.

I have taken inspiration and been influenced by many diverse sources and have listed a few links below that I have found useful: Julian Opie Lucien Freud Gustav Klimt National Portrait Gallery Tate Modern XFM New Musical Express What is giclee printing? contact muna

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