Alissa Polan
Available Works
I grew up where the shadows of Hollywood loomed. There, the value of a person resided in the display of beauty, status and wealth. Using vinyl, cut paper and paint, my collages and installations address the value of the fantasy that photography allows; critiquing and celebrating how photographs are manipulated, produced, consumed and distributed. I print, scan, Photoshop, copy, re-copy and recontextualize Instagram posts, print advertisements, and google searches — examining the ways that images are used to stoke desire, not only for the objects themselves, but for the identities and lifestyles they represent.
To create these works on paper, I am using a flatbed scanner to change the shape of collaged luxury items. Dragging the image across the surface slowly and methodically, I manipulate and disrupt the image in an analog way. The result of this literal dance is a document/ image that is soothing and surrealistic but divorced from the original print. I am showing the vulnerability of the illusion - using motion to physically change the photograph and show the gaps between perceived value and mirage.