Rik Sferra: Oral History
Artist(s):
Title:
- Oral History
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 1995
Medium:
- Ink jet print
Size:
- 36" x 144"
Category:
Artist Statement:
My heart and my head are in a constant struggle with one another. This struggle determines much of my behavior. These photo/text pieces are manifestations of the thoughts I have about human behavior based on this struggle. Using advertising communications styles as a model, they rely on an ironic juxtaposition of image and text, a laconic writing style, and text deconstruction to interpret social, political, and cultural behavior. An underlying theme or basis for many of my ideas is what behavior psychologists call cognitive dissonance. This condition refers to the moral and ethical paralysis that occurs in our thoughts and actions when we are confronted by overwhelming amounts of seemingly contradictory information and experiences. As a frequent “participant” in this state of being, I’ve come to refer to these circumstances as “situational oxymorons.”
