“Having matured in a new age of information, I am interested in exploring the nature of social media, and its impact on individuals, culture, and external media. As the new currency of attention permeates and pollutes the networks of social interaction online, new forms of imagery designed to perpetrate this new economy. Most of my work centres around utilising these images in order to invite viewers to join me in questioning the content we consume.
For the past four years, my practice has matured well beyond what I believed I was capable of. Currently, my main focus is on a manner of painting which utilises found images from a variety of social media content. As someone who has spent a large portion of their life consuming this content, I am often intrigued by those bizarre images that can break through the walls of your feed. Sometimes these can be uncanny comical exploitations of a pet, other times these could be an unprompted display of a gruesome accident from a nondescript far off place. The images I chose to use are carefully pulled from the noise. Conceptually, I like for the images I use to each communicate specific curiosities of the online experience.
The images I pull from social media, once selected are printed and pasted on to board before being worked into with oil paints. This results in an image that lies somewhere between the handmade and photography, creating an intriguing space in between. Somewhere static, free from the accelerated pace of the digital landscape. This space is where I would like to leave the viewer to be curious and question the image/content before them”.
Ethan graduated with a BA (Hons) Painting & Printmaking from the Glasgow School of Art ’25. We were delighted to feature Ethan’s work in our 2025 Breakouts show – our renowned annual showcase of the best talent coming out of the Scottish Art Schools.
