There are several ideas which I have grappled with and are still exploring. One of these is the premise of celebrity cult. I will observe the way some celebrity icons wax and wane in fame, and the fervor which fans will exhort the virtues and accomplishments of their choice celebrities. Famously examples of the adulation for the cult of celebrity include Chris Crocker's "Leave Brittany Alone" video regarding criticism of Brittany Spears. There are also cult followings of Lady Gaga, Cher, and Madonna. Other celebrities which have their "cults" include Ricky Martin, Neil Patrick Harris, Paris Hilton, the Kardashians, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I can write for days all the multitudes of celebrity cults. Within the framework of religion, any sort of adulation does result in the worship of an idol, or a false god. This, of course, does nothing to curtail the fandom and worship. Being the self-critical, self-doubting insecure person I am (some would say self-reflective, but I don't give myself nearly as much credit), I juxtaposed my own taste in celebrity cult worship and thought about who it is I would remotely put on such a level. But also in contrast, how I put them on the status of "Idol Worship". Because I tend towards a less fervent about the cult of celebrity, I liked the word play of Idol/Idle since it plays on the lackadaisical or errant distraction from what could be a stronger spiritual/religious/moral focus. Conceptually running through the ways in which people worship both religiously and in the cult of celebrity, I thought about what would be ways which people show their devotion and 'worship'.
The first of these explorations took on the idea of gilded imagery from old Byzantine style artwork, with my own art making style. I thought about who are the celebrities I focus on, and why I focus on them. These three images are portraits of Bryan Anderson, John Nolan, and Sacha Sacket. In 2005 I was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and I credit their stories and music with finding courage and sanity to make it through what was one of my harrowing ordeals. Bryan Anderson's story gave me the inspiration and courage that even if I were to be disfigured and blown apart, I would find a way to move on from that and continue my life. John Nolan had just launched the first album with Straylight Run, and their music was a soothing influence while overseas. Sacha Sacket was an artist I heard about overseas, and the friends who introduced me to his music I would not had met had I not deployed.
Sacha Sacket
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