Take It on the Run

Flatbed digital serigraph on wood, 24×20 in.

The opening lyrics from REO Speedwagon‘s intimate but lush power ballad (penned by guitarist Gary Richrath and personalized in the gushing heartache of Kevin Cronyn‘s vocals) is perhaps the most earnest break-up song of the arena rock era. The song laments the discovery of infidelity through rumor via words written in the same font as the band’s logo at the the height of their popularity. Providing more of a keyhole than a window for the lingering gaze of our tabloid society, the text provokes us to wonder: Is this a photo of teen sensation Ariana Grande allegedly leaked from her hacked phone? The relatively squeaky-clean singer has unsurprisingly contested its genuineness, but speculation renders the truth almost moot. The mass media has posted this image, which infers legitimacy–despite the absence of proven authenticity. This represents not just an egregious invasion of privacy, but an actual crime (theft by hacking). Modern Paparazzi culture birthed by the 24 hour news cycle has established and continually fed the public hunger for parasitic titliation, and yet seeks vindication by implying that the original source of the photograph is the subject, herself. Victim shaming is frequently the bedfellow of morbid curiosity.