Margaret Murphy

Margaret Murphy’s series Los Angelizing delves into the exaggerated cultural perceptions of Los Angeles, shedding light on the city's hidden complexities. Through the use of AI, Murphy amplifies depictions of the subtle extremes of the city’s iconic imagery, challenging viewers to reconsider their preconceptions of the city’s identity and its inhabitants.

Los Angelizing is an homage to Murphy’s passion for both the city of Los Angeles, where she has lived since 2016, and the medium of artificial intelligence that Murphy has been incorporating into her artistic practice for the last two years. Influenced by artists such as filmmaker David Lynch and photographer Martin Parr, known for their surreal and absurdist depictions of humanity, Murphy interprets her own portrayal of AI while leaning in to the tool’s exaggerated quirks. Murphy takes these entrenched stereotypes to a visual extreme that is equivalent to how they are often spoken about or understood outside of LA.

Los Angeles is a city defined by its stereotypes that are exaggerated by popular culture and media. People who live in LA are often met with questions that feel frivolous and uninformed like “How do you deal with the traffic?” “Aren’t you scared of the Earthquakes?” “Don’t you miss having seasons? “Do you go to the beach every day?” “Do you drink the expensive smoothies from Erewhon?” It’s hard to convince a critic, but there really is no point in trying. LA is a city that reveals itself only to those who make the effort to see and love it for all of its caricatures – real and exaggerated.