Javier Vázquez
By Sophie Cameron
Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West make an appearance in BANG BANG, Here I Come Again, the latest project of Spanish artist Javier Vázquez. The multimedia exhibition combines YouTube videos, images taken on smartphones and monochrome portraits on wood in an exploration of the ways in which mass media affects the youth of today.
Vázquez focuses on images both of young crowds at music festivals and of pop and rap stars, considering the values the music industry propagates: masculinity, vanity, money, fame, success. Rather than simply critiquing youth culture, however, the artist aims to convey the sensations and emotions that arise through them. Excitement, idolization and the vitality of youth are all present here, alongside an acknowledgement that these stylized and stereotypical images can also have a negative effect.