SLEEK ASKED TEN YOUNG ARTISTS TO SHARE THEIR DARKEST SECRETS
Some are written into a secret notebook under a bed cover, torch in hand; some are posted on the internet for strangers to comment on; some are made of selfies taken every day (hour, minute) of your mood. A diary can take many forms, yet this activity of counting the days is a uniquely youthful one. In this portfolio of artworks and writing created exclusively for Sleek, we asked today’s young and youth-focused artists and writers to send us an excerpt of their diary.
Jeremy Bailey, the self-proclaimed “Famous New Media Artist”, is currently based out of Toronto. Satirical and humorous, Bailey uses platforms like his YouTube channel to explore video technologies, digital performance art, and the body.
“Dear traditional diary,
You’re useless. When I have a personal thought I let it out, I announce it to the world in a dozen different ways. Within seconds of thinking something I let the world the know about it. For instance, a few minutes ago I was thinking about a new artwork where I scan and 3d print human corpses in bright primary colours and sell them as contemporary kitchen countertops and now I’m thinking about improvements that could be made to cookie dough ice cream Klondike® Ice Cream – What Would You Do For A Klondike?. You are disgracefully incapable of documenting and cataloguing the sheer volume of insight I produce every single day. It’s laughable to imagine myself writing a few sentences into a little book at night when I generate volumes of data about myself every second, often without even knowing it. If you were truly capable you’d understand me without asking and you’d learn what I like just from watching me. You’d track my calories (51% of 2191), find my face in photos (Yael Ruhman, friends with Roy Menachem Markovich, tagged a photo of you), and know how much I’m spending on lunch (11% over budget this month). You’d have suggestions for important people I should know (Heather Corcoran, Executive Director at Rhizome), movies I should watch (Easter Island, Mysteries of the Lost World), and things I should buy (Oral-B Vitality Dual Clean Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush). Simply put, you’d know more about me than I know about myself, and you’d let me express myself in ways I never imagined possible. But you’ll never do any of these things because you’re a useless empty pile of paper with a tiny heart shaped lock any fourth grader could break.” – Taken from Sleek Magazine 43 “Youth & Truth”
More work from Jeremy Bailey can be found on his YouTube and Twitter channels. To see more diary excerpts, check out our Youth Confessional series.