Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Art

Reader 1

Aly Ogasian

Reader 2

Kasper Kovitz

Abstract

“Static Overwhelm” showcases collective stress born from perpetual engagement with the internet and social media. The piece began as a personal reflection of my felt anxiety from online overuse. However, it quickly became a greater social commentary on the modern condition of internet dependence, stress, and unease.

With any basic search engine, any amount or type of information that I could ever need, is at my fingertips. We constantly experience the stress effects of the internet’s misinformation, political pressure, and addictive design.

Inspired by the expressionist movement, I have created a piece that focuses on the expression of raw emotion, overwhelm and stress, over realistic depiction. This early 1900s movement is rooted in the psychological distress of the masses due to industrialization and urbanization; expressionist artwork became an outlet for artists to share their emotions with the public after years of realism silencing artistic distress. Adell draws parallels to expressionism through her stylistic painting choices indicating a conceptual connection between early 1900s distress in Germany and modern day stress born from an amalgamation of issues including the internet.

“Static Overwhelm” was created with six distinct interior wall paints to keep the color palette bright and distinctive in an effort to mimic early expressionist’s bright emotionally evocative palettes. The work uses minimal blending and visible brush strokes – favoring emotional depth through the color palette over a realistic interpretation. This approach calls back to the expressionist effort to convey the collective overwhelm through art.

With “Static Overwhelm,” I invite my viewers to pause and take a minute to reflect on the psychological toll of constant internet and social media use – a reminder that no one is alone in their guilt over overconsumption or general overwhelm.

This is the greater messaging behind my work, that not only is the internet and social media addictive and difficult to regulate, but as a society we are all experiencing the pressure to continue to scroll and engage which is an inherently stressful experience.

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