The Lounge-Room Dictator is a painterly project constructed as a psychological fantasy that interrogates my interaction with society through a humorous compression of male stereotypes found in popular culture. Supported by the writings of Zygmunt Bauman, Jean Baudrillard and Guy Debord, the project locates itself in a society of constant flux, change and spectacle fuelled by desire and consumerism.

 

Through the use of symbolism, narrative, satire and role-playing I explore these personal anxieties through my central character The Lounge-Room Dictator. The Lounge-Room Dictator uses the attributes of dictatorship such as excess, narcissism and absurdity as a metaphor for the consumer. He lives his life vicariously swept up by change and choice; this contributes to his incapacity to settle through the spectacle of consumer driven identity. In these works he parades stereotypical male characters such as the double agent, tribal warrior and authoritative sage, as a metaphor for the product of consumption.

 

I project these symbols onto myself in order to question the role of appearance and identity in society as well as my place within it. By doing this I consciously question the role of the individual in society engaging them through visual satire. The outcome of this investigation has resulted in three distinct works, each with a unique narrative on different desirable male stereotypes which, have been consumed by the central protagonist The Lounge-Room Dictator. 

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