From viral selfies to subversive still lifes, artist Dawn Woolley examines consumer culture and the curated self critically.
When Dawn Woolley's photograph The Substitute (holiday) was named "the world's best selfie" by GQ in 2017, the irony was intentional. This image — a staged vacation snap subtly featuring a mannequin hand — wasn't just a bid for likes; it was a critical insertion into the very culture it seemed to embody. This duality defines Woolley's art.
As a Research Fellow at Leeds Arts University, Woolley investigates how social media platforms transform bodies into commodities. Her work dissects the visual codes of hashtags like #fitspiration and #bodypositivity, revealing how even acts meant to be rebellious can reinforce capitalist ideals of consumption and performance.
Still Lifes That Talk Back
In her exhibition Consumed: Stilled Lives, Woolley appropriated the language of food advertising to expose its contradictory demands: indulge but stay thin, buy more but feel guilty. These works, described by Professor Mark Durden as "ersatz and sweet, yet unpalatable and violent," use objects like those in Pacifier to represent consumer goods as unsettling surrogates for gendered desire. Woolley also places her critiques directly into commercial ad spaces, forcing viewers to confront the subtle ideological machinery at play.
Glitches in the Machine
Woolley's current project, Rebel Selves, collaborates with queer dancers to create a visual language that disrupts heteronormative selfie culture. Using wearable sculptures, sets, and a custom app, participants generate "glitchy" self-portraits that reject binary aesthetics. Recognising social media as a "battleground" where marginalised bodies face hostility, the project, inspired by Donna Haraway, imagines identities as fluid, hybrid entanglements, challenging the idea of a fixed self.
Why Woolley Resonates Now
In an era where identity can be branded and rebellion commodified, Dawn Woolley's work offers a vital counterpoint. By turning her camera back on the systems that shape our desires and perceptions, she uses the tools of consumer culture against themselves. Her art doesn't just reflect reality; it provides a powerful lens to crack it open, reminding us that seeing critically is an essential act.