Ad or art? is a collection of 30 photos that I had
taken in my first two years of Yale. Desperate for a student job and
also some artistic fulfillment, I threw myself into the photography
world on campus in any way that I could find. Weekly freelance gigs, a
job as a production archivist, and multiple photographer positions in
clubs meant there was hardly a time I was not holding a camera. Now that
I have taken my finger off the shutter (temporarily), I ask myself, what
of my work is advertisement and what is art? All art is promoting some
belief, aesthetic, or story. But an advertisement is different because
it supports an existing system. Art disrupts it. This site holds 15
pairs of work that have been beloved but also discarded by my clients,
bosses, and peers. In the end, this is an attempt for me to reflect on
the ways I sold my labor of love to others and what is left for me in
the end. <3
Enter ad board / gallery
press on "or" to begin