ARTIST STATEMENT
My ongoing project, #influenced (2020-present), examines the ever-changing landscape of the internet and its impact on our culture. Using a large format camera, I photograph carefully constructed temporary installations that investigate the phenomenon that occurs at the intersection of social media, celebrity, and consumerism: the influencer. The subjects of the photographs are celebrities and influencers—like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner—who have achieved fame by marketing and branding themselves, creating public personas designed for mass consumption. The scenes thatI photograph are physical manifestations of the virtual worlds of Instagram and TikTok, built from handmade props, 2D cutouts, and mass-produced products promoted through online advertisements. I utilize the visual aesthetics of the internet and contemporary advertising to depict the frenzied online universe that invades our daily lives and shapes contemporary society. Through #influenced, I seek to understand my obsession with celebrity and internet culture, simultaneously celebrating and critiquing the social media influencers, while exploring how celebrity culture not only shapes society but reflects it back to us in exaggerated, often distorted ways.
ARTIST BIO
Laura Beth Reese (b. 1987) is an artist, Diet Pepsi lover, and reality television connoisseur. She uses photography as a tool to explore her obsessions – from her ex-boyfriends to her biological mother to social media influencers. Her work has been exhibited nationally—most recently at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR and Abakus Projects in Boston, MA,. She is a recipient of a 2025 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant for Creative Individuals and of a 2016 Traveling Fellowship from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has been published in the Boston Art Review, Cosmo.com and The Huffington Post. Reese was born in Iowa and raised on the east coast of the United States. She holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA) and a BA from Muhlenberg College. She resides in Boston where she has taught at Harvard University, Boston College, and currently works as a Studio Manager and Part-Time faculty member at the SMFA at Tufts.