Uzi, acrylic on stretched canvas, 24×36″

Lancôme Tresor, acrylic on stretched canvas, 24×36″

The use of sexuality has long been a facet of advertising. For the moment each advertisement has our attention, the past is transformed into nostalgia, the future is transformed into hope, and the present is what must always be changed. Through a carefully constructed message, any product or service can be associated with other evocative ideas and images that lead you to a refined conclusion that becomes your own. The evolution of advertising suggests that consumers, who were once producers, are increasingly being transformed into products.

Salvatore Farragamo, Acrylic on stretched canvas, 36×36″

The Sex Sells series is a commentary not just on sexuality, but also on the commodification of identity, lifestyle, and wish fulfillment. Many artists have tackled this subject before, but the ubiquity of advertising and its manipulative power both point to the need to continually challenge it – even if only visually.

By applying typographic techniques to form, the figures in each piece are reduced to abstract geometric arrays similar to the way a photographer’s model is abstracted to represent anonymous (and androgynous) beauty and allure. Each figure is presented as being fully aware that they are participating in their own exploitation. Composition is emphasized over detail, since the movement of the viewer’s eye and thought are the goal.