Glitch Art by Heitor Magno

Obtained from: https://www.artpeoplegallery.com/heitor-magno-glitch-art/

Reponse:

When I first came across Magno's work, I was a little disturbed by the pale and heavily distorted portraits. However, these initial feelings of discomfort and uneasiness were soon replaced with intrigue and curiosity, as I wonder about the meaning behind these seemingly simple-looking photographs.

Description:

In his series of portraits, Magno incorporates glitch art and pixelation to manipulate and distort his subjects who are, more often than not, naked. Instead of photographing multiple subjects, Magno sometimes utilities the technique of multiple exposure to clone himself within his photographs. The contrast between the heavily desaturated backdrop and subjects, and the colourful pixelated space is evident throughout Magno's series. The distortion also often occurs only on the subjects' facial area. 

Analysis and Interpretation:

Most apparent is the theme of identity. Magno's choice in distorting his subjects' facial features through the use of pixelation reveals his focus on identities on the internet. Magno's series serves as a reflection of the collectively corrupted and unstable identities we see on the internet. By utilising unclothed subjects, the collective nature of manipulating one's identity on the internet is being highlighted, as these subjects are all being united by nothing other than being human. 

The manifestation of multiple identities, represented by Magno's use of multiple exposure, is also prevalent across the internet, as users consciously select and weave parts of themselves into facades that they deem to be socially acceptable or ideal. These multiple identities could also be depicted by the colourful pixels used by Magno, where different colours represent different identities. 

Magno's use of digital photographs to convey his message points towards the digitalised nature of this phenomenon, where it is more common to have different identities online. Furthermore, Magno's ability to recreate multiple photographs of a similar concept with such ease also highlights the relative ease of assuming different identities online. 

Finally, the heavy contrast between his desaturated subjects and the colourful pixels effectively brings one's focus to the distorted faces. This reveals how users of the internet often tend to be bombarded with manipulated and ideal versions of others, rather than their true and unguarded forms. 

Thus, through his series, Magno also prompts us to question our own behaviour on the internet. 

Evaluation and Judgment:

Although simple, Magno's minimalistic style effectively brought out his intended message as the audience is directly confronted by it rather than be distracted by unimportant elements. In my opinion, this series is especially significant in our current age where the use of social media is highly prevalent, as it serves as a reminder that what we see on the internet may not be entirely true. 

Upon considering my initial response, I think that Magno's choice in making his photographs look slightly disturbing is very successful in bringing more attention to his work. Perhaps, we should also feel unsettled about the active manipulation of identities online.