︎ Summary

‘In Search of Validation’ (2018) is a series of photographic prints that examines the affective impact of male body imagery across dating and smartphone apps. Drawing on theorist Lawrence Grossberg’s concept of “mattering maps,” the work considers how images of the male body gain emotional and cultural value through digital circulation. The presentation arranges the photographs as a continuous visual network, reflecting the interconnected environments in which these images are encountered.

The artist adopted an online persona within chatrooms, exchanging messages and observing Reddit threads that reveal anxieties around body image and the sharing of steroid-use advice. The photographic process involved restaging and re-photographing these images, then manipulating them through digital software. The work is presented alongside documentation of practices tied to masculine body ideals, including steroid use, protein supplementation, gym routines, sporting attire, fasting, and exercise regimes. These activities were recorded using adapted scientific tools—such as microscopes attached to smartphones and endoscopes—and further altered through digital manipulation. The resulting images are juxtaposed with digitally enhanced photographs of bodies sourced from online spaces, creating a navigable visual system that reflects the aesthetics of the internet.

This series forms part of a broader investigation into performativity and affect theory within digital platforms, particularly in relation to male intimacy and self-representation. Referencing Harrison Pope’s The Adonis Complex (2000), the work situates contemporary male body anxiety within shifts in labour and media representation since the 1980s. These changes parallel longer art historical traditions in which idealised male forms—such as gods and heroic figures—were constructed to communicate social, political, and ideological values. Today, this trajectory has evolved into a culture that prioritises ornamental masculinity, evidenced by the increasing prevalence of anabolic steroid use. This phenomenon is intensified by the secrecy surrounding steroid consumption and the saturation of hyper-muscular, often digitally manipulated torsos across social media.

Displayed alongside the photographic works are screenshots of mobile and computer searches, trend graphs, histograms, supplement advertisements, chatroom discussions on steroid use, and online exercise forums. Together, these materials reveal the motivations, anxieties, and desires of users navigating body ideals online. The juxtaposition of data, intimate imagery, and references to historical paintings of power and dominance creates a dialogue around identity formation and contemporary self-representation.

The installation of the images as a continuous network draws formal inspiration from post-war New Towns such as Basildon and Milton Keynes, whose brutalist architecture is characterised by concrete divisions and modular structures. By presenting bodies, data, and documentation as interconnected evidence, the work exposes the pressures shaping male self-image. Through contrasting vulnerability and exposure, the project seeks to disrupt the affective influence of digitisation on male body ideals and the pursuit of validation.

︎ Further Reading

Platform Award Alumni Stories: George Morl, CVAN, 13 May 2019

︎ Exhibitions

Precious Boys, Southend Museums, UK, 2018
UCA MA Degree Show, UCA, UK, 2018

︎ Associated Awards

Darren Henley Scholarship, 2016


© George Morl