In the digital collage series, Click, Drag, Nip, Tuck (2019), Luke Malcynsky sheds light on the powerful influence of social media, digital photo-editing tools and cosmetic surgery on societal beauty standards and the female body. In a style reminiscent of early 20th century Dada, the four-part, black-and-white series combines bold designs and satirical commentary. As social media has heightened beauty standards, users are pressured to construct and present idealized, digitally-edited versions of themselves to the world. Building off this concept, Malcynsky explores how, as a result, some users feel compelled to physically alter their bodies in order to “match” their digitally-altered online-image.
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Luke Malcynsky is a designer and visual artist based out of Richmond, VA. Luke is a senior at the University of Richmond, where he studies Rhetoric & Communications and Visual Media Arts. While his background is in printmaking, in recent years Luke’s focus has shifted towards the many possibilities of digital arts. Luke’s work is often inspired by his combined fascination with and fear of our increasingly globalized and digitized world.
