2024 Finalists

This artwork is a part of the authors bachelor’s project ‘’Will my clone dream of electric sheep?’’. The main idea of the entirety of the work is self-reflection and
expanding the subjective internal understanding of oneself using traditional art methods and technological solutions.

‘’My own skin’’ reflects the skin texture map of the authors digital clone, compositionally achieved using photogrammetry and 3D software and painted using oil
paints and acrylic on canvas. The artwork was created in collaboration with modern technology, using several computer programs, such as Blender and Unreal Engine, and letting them create their own visual understanding of the artist, then contrasting that with the authors artistic expression in the pursuit of creating an objective view of the author.

The layout of the artwork directly references how computer software interprets 3D object textures, and in this case the skin of the author is laid out in a way that draws parallels to the process of taxidermy. The very idea of reconstructing oneself in a calculated and meticulous fashion, such as in the process of preparing animal skin, promotes ideas of self-image, self criticality, the importance of physical appearance in the context of modern-day society and the combination of the inner self and the exterior that together create one’s identity.

A state of appearance that anyone can be reduced down to, the skin is the largest organ of the human body that can often times be a particularly poignant insecurity. In the age of technology and social media the true sense of self progressively becomes warped and in turn can lead to a deep lack of confidence, therefore it is necessary to maintain a substantive sense of identity. In contrast to the influence that the digital world can inflict upon the ego, in this work the author uses technology as a tool to help achieve a deeper understanding of themselves, both physical, and psychological.

Taking inspiration from literature such as the essay ‘’The Uncanny Valley’’ by Masahiro Mori, the novel ‘’Do androids dream of electric sheep?’’ by Philip K. Dick
and the psychological phenomenon of first impressions, ‘’My own skin’’ is the pursuit of realizing personal identity, created using the expression of traditional painting and presented through the calculated and unnerving view of modern technology.

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