SnapScan (Self-Portrait) Ribbon and Rubber 170 x 165 cm

This is a work that I made specifically with the FNB Joburg Art Fair in mind. (coming soon: from 11 to 13th September 2015)  I’ve read in numerous responses to Art Fairs around the globe that ‘critics’ refer to these fairs as Art Supermarkets etc. Find below some links if you want to read some of the articles:

http://art-nerd.com/newyork/unveiling-the-art-supermarket/

http://www.tafterjournal.it/2014/07/30/contemporary-art-fairs-as-new-forms-of-cultural-consumption-and-urban-experience/

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2011-01/06/content_11803125.htm

http://corrigall.blogspot.com/2014/09/deja-vu-fnb-joburg-art-fair.html

I decided to embroider a pixelated self-portrait with ribbon, but altering it so that it looks like a quick response code (QR code) …..

QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. A QR code uses four standardized encoding modes (numeric, alphanumeric, byte / binary, and kanji) to efficiently store data; extensions may also be used.^[1]

The QR Code system became popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. Applications include product tracking, item identification, time tracking, document management, and general marketing.^[2]

A QR code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device (such as a camera, scanner, etc.) and processed using Reed–Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. The required data are then extracted from patterns that are present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image.

….which one find in numerous shops these days to make easy payments by using an app (SnapScan) on one’s phone.

The pose I decided to use is one with hands together almost as if I’m praying….referring to a notion of “Ag, please just buy me” kind of tongue in the cheek.

But like William Blake once said:

I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.