In this piece I have cast myself as Chuck Close, referencing his iconic “Big Self-Portrait.”

In doing so, I poke fun at not only myself and Close, but the art world at large. I am humorously highlighting the ways in which we are superficially similar (balding, glasses, art careers, etc…) while also laying out the many ways in which we are dissimilar, particularly in terms of the art world’s hierarchy. As an artist fascinated by symbols, I am dressing myself in the visual markers of Close (a successful artist) and attempting to craft that same narrative for my own career, developing art credentials by association.

CHARLEY FRIEDMAN

CHARLEY FRIEDMAN