Djaala/Torveeda/Khilii 7 ["A Poison Tree"] & Hélyos 6 ["A Poison Tree"]

by Tommy Mayberry

Djaala/Torveeda/Khilii 7 ["A Poison Tree"], 2010
Conceptual Artist/Model: Tommy Mayberry
Photographic Artist: Tina Weltz, MPA, LPPO
Hair and Make-up Artist: Jessica Barber

Calla Studio

Digital Image

 

Hélyos 6 ["A Poison Tree"], 2010
Conceptual Artist/Model: Tommy Mayberry
Photographic Artist: Tina Weltz, MPA, LPPO
Hair and Make-up Artist: Jessica Barber

Calla Studio

Digital Image

Artist Statement:

To borrow Richard Dyer’s words, I work in the “nexus of authenticity.” I combine concepts of narcissism and celebrity culture as I seek [artistically] to sell myself (in an exploration of the philosophy of conceit and artificiality) as a pseudo-celebrity. Primarily housed out of Calla Studio (www.callastudio.ca), I use myself as the model and work with a team of aesthetic artists (Photographic and Hair and Make-up) to construct the performances and images. My work follows in the vein of Canadian conceptual artists such as David Buchan and General Idea, but it is, at its centre, a hard-on fusion of William Blake and Lady Gaga.

Bio:

As a writer, I am interested in the crossbreeding of creative prose and academic scholarship; as an artist, I am interested in the hybridized space of reality and imagination. I have a Joint Honours BA in English Literature and Fine Arts: Studio Specialization from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), and I am currently a Graduate student at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) working on my MA in English and Cultural Studies involving a hybrid thesis project (a merging of academic scholarship, creative writing, and studio photography) on William Blake under the supervision of Canadian poet and scholar Dr. Jeffery Donaldson.