Publisher's Synopsis
Drawing inspiration from iconic figures and imagery from popular media, press photos, and other artworks, Sam McKinniss transforms familiar images into striking original works. By reinterpreting snapshots of celebrities and working with images with an inbuilt cultural power, McKinniss infuses them with a new layer of depth and significance-making them more powerful, expressive, and ambiguous. His portraits are not mere copies but rather captured moments of collective memory, heightened with emotion and drama. Transitioning from painting friends to internet-sourced imagery, McKinniss taps into emotional wells sublimated within the drama of entertainment, theater, pageantry, presentation, fashion, and glamour in his work. Investing recognizable faces with emotion, he invites viewers to reflect on their own relationship with these cultural icons and the broader societal forces that shape them. Oscillating between being a fan and an idol, McKinniss illustrates complex roles and identities existing in his art. In this volume, the artist's first monograph, writers Natasha Stagg, Jarrett Earnest, and Drew Sawyer identify key works and exhibitions and detail McKinniss's artistic trajectory.
