Earlier this month, I alluded to a new series of photography based on the self, and now I’m releasing all the photos from the finished exhibition. My series, entitled “Man V. Self” pit me against… well, my greatest foe, my self. I’ll briefly explain the concept behind each print below.
“Back Seat Driver”
Do you ever feel like you’re your own worst critic? Always hounding yourself from the shadows and making it difficult to perform? This was the motivation behind this idea.
“Making Friends”
The title of this piece is purposefully ironic, as my self has yet to make a friend, and instead is simulating a game by himself. How convenient would it be though if you could face off against yourself as an opponent in a game, or work in tandem as friends?
“Inner Reflections”
This was actually inspired by my own obsession with the reflection as an emotional indicator of how you’re doing. Many mornings, I find myself disappointed to be staring back at someone who appears tired, or unready or angry, sad etc. I’d love instead to look back at someone who’s poised and confident, so I exaggerated the idea in this photo.
“The Last Temptation of the Procrastinator”
You know you have a test in the morning and there’s a thousand different things to do, but you still visualize yourself thinking of everything else that you’d rather be doing. Still, you press onward to meet the deadline at the last minute, but can you avoid your inner selves pulling against you? I certainly did, but it was tough.
“The Upper Hand”
This one is based on both ideas of trust and deceit, both inwardly and out. Some people have a really good ‘poker face’ and can convince you that they’re on top even if they’re not, which is why having a great hand in poker may not defeat them. Conversely, how is it that my “lucky” self somehow has a perfect hand in poker anyway? Could it be that he cheated?
“Wake Up Call”
We all dread waking up, and yet feel lazy if we don’t for an extended period of time. Both these feelings are on display in this piece. While I dread early mornings, there’s another side of me who’s not too forgiving of myself if I oversleep.
Bobby Gaines 