Anna Be
Anna Be is practicing from the unceded, ancestral and traditional land of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. Be finds inspiration and comfort from the figures in digital culture that surround her, looking to combine the contemporary with the classical. In doing so, she focuses on identity, trauma, and the dark underbellies of society.
Avatar, 2020
mixed-media, 11 x 7 "
Drawn to post-human idealization of femininity, many internet users gain anonymity while remaining behind their digital avatars. At the crossroad of maximalist cuteness and dangerous anonymity, the endlessly reproduced and reappropriated anime icons speak to the paradigms of digital culture. Avatar suggests that while we are inseparable from our digital self, we use images and avatars to project an Other - someone (or something) that oftentimes allows for complete exemption from rules and morality.