Terry Rodgers

Born 1947, Newark, USA The figures in the works of Terry Rodgers live in a world where everything is desirable, where lust and decadence seem to reign supreme. People with fit, sensual bodies bathe in wealth and strike a perfect pose while doing so. Their expressions seem to contrast with the promises of their surroundings. They do not interract with each other and their boredom and inner struggle is very tangible. Their enormous egos drive them to a strange kind of narcistic hedonism, devoid of social value. These are not people living in a paradise of aesthetic capitalism. Rather, they are trapped within their search for purpose in a society that is driven by unfullfilling consumerism. Behind the blasé looks an awareness of the uselessness of a search for meaning between the myths of modern desire is hidden. Rodgers combines his studies of models found all over the world to monumental photorealistic pieces. Among these models whe find people from bars, clubs, restaurants, airports and the streets of the city he happens to be in. His selections seem to mirror the current massproduction of 'stardom' made available by television. Fame has become an even more shallow concept than it ever was since it has become attainable for practically anyone willing to sell themselves. His craftmanship allows him to achieve the level of detail needed to present both the wealth and the decay of a modern utopian fantasy.

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