Brilliant Information Overload Pop Head

These large-scale photographs take on the familiar format of high school yearbook portraits, yet seem to drip with paint; the identity of the sitter is masked so that he or she becomes an anonymous teen. The bold, multi-coloured splash of paint is a gestural reference to Abstract Expressionism and also signifies the often volatile emotional state of adolescents and identities that are still being shaped by external forces.

At the core of Coupland's practice lies a fascination with popular culture. Not only does Coupland utilize the strategies of Pop Art by incorporating objects and images taken directly from everyday life, but he often passes these through the lens of new media. The result is a provocative synthesis of the common with the extraordinary, set in the here and now.