“Having been young girls with early access to Instagram during the golden era of Tumblr in 2011, we’ve been fascinated by the images that girls choose to represent themselves with online,” say artists Lucia Farrow and Mila Rowyszyn, both of whom were born in 2000.
We’re speaking at Des Bains in London, where their film Obsidian Upset is being screened as part of an exhibition of the same name, curated by Kollektiv Collective, alongside works by painter Elsa Rouy and LA-based photographers Chessa Subbiondo and Stolen Besos. “Whether it’s photos of themselves or symbols that communicate what kind of girl they are through various aesthetic choices – French-manicured nails, a matcha latte, fishnet tights – these aesthetics shape the image of how one wishes to be perceived online.” Obsidian Upset explores girlhood in the age of Instagram, bedroom culture and social media bloggers through the dark and seductive lens of Hollywood.
