Truth in Advertising
Wood, resin, fabric, sequins, shoe sole, hair, sand, pig skin
18 ” x 47 ”
2007

Truth in Advertising is a sort of collage, but rather than using other images to make a composite image, Hathaway uses the actual materials that the subjects of the image are made of to re-create this Silver Jeans advertisement. While the work is a formal play on a traditional artistic practice, it also explores advertising in the light of artistic critique. The work’s decaying and glossy nature serves as an antagonist to the sleek image of beautiful people who present themselves more so than they do the jeans the ad would have the viewer buy.