Semiotics of the Barely Legal Spectacle

With the obligation to master signature TikTok “dance” moves while lip-syncing violent and sexually explicit music, adolescents are subjected to obeying social codes by entrepreneurs disguised as harmless musicians and influencers –– the all-powerful hegemony profits off of every n-word mouthed and thrust of a minor’s hips, while keeping us uninformed, divided, entertained, and thus docile. The women’s “role in the kitchen” has turned into the nascent temptress of TikTok, inspiring the creation of this character.
Inspired by "Semiotics of the Kitchen" by Martha Rosler and "Semiotics of the CamWhore" by Ann Hirsch.

A glimpse beyond the spectacular, ritualistic decoding of ritual, and recognition of motives and priorities, warped by inequality in the form of abuse and misogyny, a femme presenting person, desperately trying to be a “young girl.” 

I get a kick out of re-appropriating the perpetual performance of consumption and self-quantification. Hinging upon the viewer, like a cheap striptease, I go through the motions for all to see, enjoy, and invest in me and my entirety as object, whilst being rubbed in all the right ways.

Obsessive, compulsive, but eerily familiar performances meant to elicit discomfort —while camouflaged amongst the billions of protocol-abiding able-bodied blonds— I invite the audience to participate in an exercise of self-reflection.

The “unspoken” are areas we resist engaging with. We are taught they cause discomfort, so they are ignored. If mentioned, one is shunned. The unspoken manifests as recurring depictions of violence towards women, meme-ification of absolutely everything, nascent seduction of the “young girl” and the kid in the confederate flag sweatshirt popping and locking to a tune with a Latin flair.

“Unspoken” spectacles possess uncomfortable truths that demand immediate intervention . We are all complicit, but resist acknowledging.

I vlog the trendiest #challenges while counterfeiting positive emotions and self-confidence, in order to seduce my audience, quantified by the number of likes, views and shares. Shape shifting from Tessa into the under aged, suggestively dressed, Barely Legal Tessa Oop, I am intent on surveilling the audience’s interest in my unspoken spectacles. 

When the pressure to conform comes in catchy jingles, created by entrepreneurs disguised as musicians, the’ all-consuming war against authenticity is stuck in and often on our heads, in the form of facial branding. Every n-word mouthed and minor thrusting their hips keeps us uninformed, divided, and thus docile, whilst “just having fun.”

 As we settle in the new reality of quarantine, virtual work and interactions, my work attempts to address our total-surrender to the spectacle, exacerbated by isolation. Taking a critical look at these casual daily rituals — swiping for love or a shooting buddy, browsing TikTok for the worlds next sex symbol consuming tutorials on how to be the ultimate “young girl” — one finds underlying patriarchy, inherited self-objectification, racism and perpetuation of dated social mores, pervasive in the spectacle.

My paintings, performances, writings and mix media creations take moments viewed by millions — these drafts, turned posts, turned viral sensations, turned identity, capture our current time better than the news. The barely legal nature of the words we sing (e.g. molest me), the dances we do (e.g. throw it back) and the way we attempt to appear alter reality in the form of traumatization.