ADAM MYSOCK

A Constant, Attractive Artifice, 2018

acrylic on panel

1.5 inches in diameter

Framed: 2.375 inches in diameter

For some reason, mannequins seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up. Maybe it was growing up during the heyday of malls in America. Nevertheless, with their clearly artificial features, postures, and groupings, mannequins have always been created to illustrate an unachievable version of reality, to establish an envy of something unreal.  

They are lies made physical. For a kid of the 1980s, they’re the earliest ancestor of any such effort. And they taught me a great deal about false persuasion. In order to deceive overwhelmingly, you’ve got to support your lies with something tangible.