These small 1x1 inch paintings are derived from social media icons of the early days of Web 2.0. Beginning the series in 2015, Jargo carefully paints avatars of the digital icons that once personalized and decorated Myspace profiles, Livejournal entries, and forum posts—mining recent digital history with a mix of humor, horror, and curiosity.

In Icons, Jargo reflects on the ever-changing nature of digital self expression and our selective memory of it. Mid-aughts social media is affiliated most with hyper personalization, using HTML design to build one’s own “online bedroom” of sorts, a far cry from the spoon-fed algorithmic online landscape of present day. Imagery depicted in Icons ranges from brand logos, pop media references, and playful innuendos on one hand, with xenophobic, misogynistic, and homophobic sentiments on the other. Here Jargo provides an unblinking time capsule showing progress made, as well as moments that have eerily stayed constant through today.

The Icons series has so far only been shown in life-sized exhibition spaces and art fairs. Placing the already small paintings in a miniature booth at Barely Fair booth provides a new scale and context for viewing. 

Casey Jargo (b. 1993, Tucson, AZ) is a multimedia artist currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. His work takes interest in how commercial products, internet artifacts and personal memories stockpile over time, showing strange reflections of our former selves. He received his BFA from the University of Arizona in 2016 and is currently focusing on painting, collage, and digital work.

Barely Fair is a miniature art fair operated by Julius Caesar. The fair presents a tiny peek inside the programming of 36 contemporary art galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects during EXPO ART WEEK in Chicago. Included spaces will exhibit works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard fair.