I Care, After Lichtenstein, 2012
The original of Lichtenstein’s 1963 painting, Drowning Girl, read, “I don’t care! I’d rather sink– than call Brad for help!” In this unique 60 x 40 inch chromogenic print by NY photographer Alex Guofeng Cao, the speech bubble has yet again been altered, this time to evoke a sense of frailty in the pop artist’s once strikingly independent and humorous female subject. The smaller, contrasting pixelations are composed of mirrored images of the original DC Comics illustration of the girl Lichtenstein reproduced. Alex Guofeng Cao
(born 1969)
I Care, After Lichtenstein, 2012
Archival pigment print, flush-mounted and printed c. 2012, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
image/ flush-mount: 60 x 39 7/8in. (152.4 x 101.3cm.)
Alex Guofeng Cao is best known for his large-format portraits of popular cultural icons. On closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the sitter is composed of a constellation of tiny repetitive images - each iconic in its own right and each very slightly different from its neighbor. This "mosaic" of tiny images creates a playful dialogue with the main portrait.