All images are copyrighted and courtesy of Cucumber Mag and the photographer
“The Girls Club” at Annka Kultys gallery delves into the complexities of identity in the digital age through a series of meticulously crafted and digitally manipulated selfies. This collection, composed of thirteen hand-dyed silk works mounted on aluminum frames, interrogates the evolving role of the face in an era where digital technologies redefine personal representation.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
Peschek’s work is characterized by its transformation of the face into an abstract field of data, achieved through extensive digital editing. The use of silk, evocative of human skin, contrasts with the hard, impersonal surface of touchscreens, highlighting the fragility of identity in the digital world. This material choice reflects Peschek’s background in advertising and her acute awareness of how material affects perception.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
“The Girls Club”, an ongoing project since 2019, explores the relentless quest for self-presentation in virtual environments. Peschek merges her own selfies with a vast array of images sourced from social media, utilizing photo editing tools to critique and subvert algorithmic beauty standards. The iterative process, reminiscent of the techniques used in generating deepfakes, involves repeatedly modifying a single selfie until it becomes an unrecognizable, abstracted gaze.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
The resulting images dismantle traditional notions of the face, reducing features to blurred, atmospheric elements. Mouths become grimacing slashes, eyes appear shut and flattened, and recognizable facial features dissolve into abstract landscapes. This intentional distortion challenges the viewer’s perception and the genre of portraiture itself.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
Peschek’s work resonates with the ideas of theorist Alex Quicho, who in “Everyone is a Girl Online” posits that “girl” symbolizes a collective consciousness and a resistance to traditional identity politics. In this context, Peschek’s self-portraits embody a critique of the financialized and commodified nature of digital femininity, presenting an alternative vision of identity that transcends individualism.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
The concept of “becoming image,” as explored by Peschek, aligns with theorist Carl Olsson’s notion of a post-facial future. Olsson suggests that defacing the world might offer an escape from the financial and social constraints imposed by facial recognition technologies. “The Girls Club” embodies this idea, presenting a swarm intelligence that critiques its own boundaries while imagining new forms of representation.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
Peschek’s work prompts viewers to reconsider the significance of the face in defining identity. By embracing unrecognizability, Peschek’s distorted images challenge us to envision new ways of being that are ungovernable and beyond conventional representation. “The Girls Club” is not just a series of self-portraits but a profound commentary on the digital age’s impact on identity and self-presentation.
Christiane Peschek , “The Girls Club”, exhibition view, Annka Kultys gallery, London, 2024
