In late 20th-century Western culture, mass media—TV, film, and print—became a dominant force shaping perceptions of truth and reality.

Artists Terry Braunstein, Jack Butler, Robert Heinecken, and Joyce Neimanas critically engage with this visual culture by deconstructing and reassembling media imagery. Braunstein creates surreal collages and altered books by combining unrelated illustrations, questioning media narratives. Butler re-edits 1950s–60s magazine photos and text to highlight the ambiguity of social norms. Heinecken’s “Recto/Verso” series overlays both sides of magazine ads, exposing the manipulative nature of fashion imagery. Neimanas fragments printed media into symbolic compositions, using ghostly, skeletal figures to critique the persuasive power of advertising.

Collectively, these artists challenge not just the messages disseminated by mass culture, but also the visual tactics used to influence society. Their work urges viewers to question how media constructs meaning and to reconsider the boundary between fiction, reality, and experience.

WORKS
39

DIMENSIONS

20 x 24 to 42 x 84 (inches)

SPACE REQUIREMENTS

Aprox. 275 linear feet

INQUIRIES

exhibitions@curatorial.org
626.577.0044