Exhibition
The Panoptic Tower
Kelcy Taratoa
21 February – 15 May 2016
Paintings that grapple with pop-culture referents, to unpack anxieties caused by loss of privacy through online monitoring and public surveillance.
Paintings that grapple with pop-culture referents, to unpack anxieties caused by loss of privacy through online monitoring and public surveillance.
The loss of privacy through online monitoring and public surveillance has created a culture of Orwellian fear and paranoia. Taratoa’s latest series of paintings grapples with pop-culture referents to unpack these anxieties.
Following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, governments the world over have set about increasing their authority to expand the role and capabilities of their spy agencies programs and formed alliances with State spy agencies throughout the globe. This demand from governments for larger budgets, more control and power has been justified by the fact that terrorist activities are escalating.
New Zealand is in the process of adopting intelligence systems and programs aligned with our Defense allies. Irretrievable loss of privacy by the escalating surveillance of every aspect of modern life has become viral. Through this series of works, Kelcy Taratoa asks the question: how big and out of control are we prepared to let it become?
