Alfred Muszynski
Montreal, CanadaBiography
Born in New York in 1998, Alfred Muszynski is an emerging artist and curator based in Tiohtià:ke – Mooniyang; Montreal (Canada).
Muszynski obtained his BFA at Concordia University (2021). He has exhibited in various group shows, such as the Etc Festival presented at Projet Casa (Montreal). He has recently worked as a curator for Le Livart and Art Matters.
Muszynski is constantly looking for ways to synthesize the new and traditional artistic practices. Thus, his work combines painting, performance, and digital mediums. Drawn from 3D rendered images or photoshopped compositions, his paintings are reminiscences of digital ghosts, evoking de-virtualization of digital art rather than a traditional painting. More than anything, the artist is interested in how constant exposure to digital culture and social media impacts our ability to create or experience the culture. His work acts as a contemplative experience of virtuality, simulations and subcultures.
About the artwork
Devirtualization
The artwork Devirtualization consists of oil paint and graphite reproduction of a digitally engineered diagram. It maps how online culture directly influences “the real,” i.e. the tangible world. The artist calls this phenomenon “devirtualization,” as the virtual no longer exists as a separated parallel universe but rather overlays with our actual world.
Many cultural examples reveal how the virtual has permeated the physical; from Fortnite dance imitating “The Carlton” and its endless duplicates on TikTok to airsoft players showing more interest in mimicking what they observed in video games like Call of Duty than in actual warfare. Both examples above are illustrated, along with other examples of virtual iconography chosen for their ability to capture the overwhelmingly absurd and unrestricted state of Internet culture. By doing so, the painting depicts the importance digital culture holds over our realities.
COME MEET THE ARTIST
CENTRE DE COMMERCE MONDIAL DE MONTRÉAL
(ALLIED)
747 Rue du Square-Victoria
Entrance St Antoine West, Room W160
Residence completed
Photo : Camille Dubuc
Artworks by the artist
