How has the digital revolution impacted our daily lives? Artists shortlisted for the 2018 Aesthetica Art Prize, whose works are currently on display at York Art Gallery (until 30 September), explore this, reflecting on over-consumption, media stimulation and emotional disconnection through a range of techniques.

David Birkin

2018 Main Prize-winner Birkin’s work reflects on the way war is depicted. At its core is a concern for censorship and the edges of visibility, focusing on omissions and redactions. Profiles addresses the representation of casualties from the Iraq War.

Electra Lyhne-Gold

Inspired by painting and the visual power of advertising, Emerging Prize-winner Electra Lyhne-Gold’s film stages the artist in surreal, fictional narratives, inhabiting invented personas or characters that reflect everyday life.

Peter Davis

Exploring our relationships with technology, Davis’ paintings explore the emergence of Virtual Reality, posing questions about the digital epoch we inhabit and the status of the human being in society today.

Frischkorn creates an ironic yet historical dialogue between the subjects and Renaissance portraiture. The series McWorkers captures Fast food industry employees, reflecting on perceived notions of conformity and anonymity.

Jukhee Kwon

Babel Library is created from disposed editions of Encyclopedia Britannica. Transforming these objects through deconstruction, the installation brings them back to life, allowing the viewer to connect with the book’s history.

The Aesthetica Art Prize exhibition is open until 30 September. Find out more here. 

Credits:
1. All images courtesy the artists.