Technarcissism Part I
24”x30”
Acrylic on canvas
2015
This painting is of a robot in his artist's studio. Two of his pieces are painted replicas of pieces I've made myself (Angel on my Shoulder and Create Outside the Box). This is a sister piece to Technarcissism Part A. With its sister piece, these works play with the perception between two and three-dimensional media.
Angel on my Shoulder
34”x44”
Acrylic on canvas
2014
Bound 2 be Kitsch
36”x48”
Acrylic on canvas
2014
Following the release of Kanye West's "Bound 2" song in 2014, I made a parody portrait of the rapper. I defined kitsch as art that is so terrible and cheesy that its pure audacity is actually enjoyable. This is also how I felt about Kanye West's new song "Bound 2" so I painted this portrait of him as a modern sort of kitsch.
Forgotten Souls
36”x60”
Acrylic on canvas
2016
This piece is a self portrait but also a more realistic portrayal of a yamask, which is a Pokémon. In the lore of the games, yamasks are ghosts of dead people and the mask that they carry is its face from when it was alive. It's pretty dark and creepy, especially for a children's game so I'm super into it. You can check out the process for making this piece .
Jeff Leavitt
Things I Wish Existed
[Iteration 2491-J]
Jeff Leavitt
2020
​
The artwork in my thesis focuses on the cyclical and often futile nature of human existence. I illustrate this futility with the use of uniform, toy-like robots of my own design. I use the image of these robots in paintings, sculptures, and multimedia pieces. One of the primary influences for this body of work was the 1942 philosophical essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus. Camus discusses the futility of the human condition, comparing it to Sisyphus from Greek mythology endlessly pushing his boulder up a hill.
I am also intrigued by the designer toy community. Artists in this community often reuse the same image repeatedly in their work. It is akin to a ‘tag’ used in graffiti art. For my work, I likewise repeat the same image of the toy-like robot until it becomes my own ‘tag’ and brings myself into the viewing experience to create a connection with the audience. The robot represents me, my artwork, and the relationship between.
My goal for the work is to invoke relatable experiences for the viewer by illustrating my own experiences growing as an artist. Though the imagery in my work is tied to my own artistic journey, I intend for the scenarios to be universal enough that others may relate to them as well, bringing their own contexts into the work.
My research has lead me to consider the value of tonal dissonance in my artwork, creating two contradictory feelings that are allowed to exist simultaneously. I place my robots in scenarios that highlight the futility of their existence, but at the same time also show humor and positivity. The colorful and vibrant nature of the pieces masks darker conceptual undertones. Rather than fight against each other, these two qualities work in tandem. Though the pieces are intended to have somewhat somber under tones, I wish for the initial reaction to the work to be that of amusement and playfulness, hopefully putting a smile on the viewer’s face.