subtle fembot autospy, 2023
“Today at a glance” Gaia Del Santo tackles a phenomenon of time – a generational sentiment conditioned by the digital realm, where people scroll and click for hours on end, where profiles and characters are constructed, continuously accumulating data, sharing, commenting, interacting. Through her analytical gaze, Gaia examines the desire for medial information, as oversaturated as it is insatiable: She deciphers the modus operandi of social media culture and its inherent effect on forming identities, questioning notions of self-representation, authenticity and the attention economy. “Your screen time was up 16% last week” Taking on the perspective of the figure of the Girl – the so-called ideal consumer that Gaia herself embodies – she translates digitally contingent experiences into physical space, informed by autofictional approaches. The austerity within Gaia’s work is contrasted by a certain nostalgia: Oftentimes her imagery is reminiscent of dreamlike fantasies – lived out on Tumblr.com since 2010. “Your period is about to start”
subtle fembot autospy opens up spaces: 3 identical metal cabinets appear to be plucked straight out of an open-plan office or archive room. Part-open, part-closed, the units reveal a voided interior, only to call into question the very functionality or purpose of the furniture pieces – archiving data (but what data?). “Save space by optimising storage” On the shelves, a variety of nail polish containers are lined up systematically. So that their names combine to form abstract narratives – Spaghetti strap, Vanity fairest, Not just a pretty face – evoking notions of heteronormative fictions of femininity. The descriptive allusion to norms and ideals is made explicit in the 15 framed selfies, that draw on an aesthetic associated with online platforms such as Tumblr.com (popular in 2010, re-emerging since 2021). The way Gaia contorts her arms in pursuit of the perfect selfie refers both to the camera and to the omnipresent potentiality of an audience. “Wow, it's really calm in here!” With subtle fembot autospy, Gaia shifts the selfie into a new context to examine the conditions of image production, the role of self-representation practices, as well as forms of self-mythologisation. “You have 77 new likes”
Antonia Rebekka Truninger (translation P23)
File cabinets, nail polish, inkjet print on paper, aluminium frames
Photo credits: Margot Sparkes