Web History - A Portrait
by Gillian Sagansky
As our world continually moves from the physical to the intangible, I became obsessed with philosopher Walter Benjamin’s idea that discarded information can form a portrait of someone. I began wondering what my contemporary refuse would be and how it could constitute my portrait.
These stale textual inquiries collected from my browser over a course of three days say more than a traditional portrait ever could. A multifaceted vignette of my mental trajectory— my thoughts, fears, concerns, all submitted uninhibitedly in real time into an unknown, illusory space. This information- used and chewed up – is my past, present, and future. It will always be a part of me. Web history is our contemporary refuse.
Web History: A Portrait is currently on view at the Gallatin Galleries until January 25th.
About the Artist:
Gillian Sagansky is an artist, writer, and DJ living in New York City. She collaborates with and writes for publications such as V Magazine, Vogue, W Magazine, Oyster, among others. She graduated with a BA in art and philosophy from New York University in 2012.
