Cygnets

“Cygnets” explores how our projection of self is mediated and altered to conform to cultural expectations from a young age. Like cygnets, baby swans, that grow into creatures of grace and elegance, the young subjects are being groomed for lives of privilege, where what matters most is the image that they project to the world.The beauty of the swan, however, masks the reality of the animal’s actual temperament, one of aggression and violence. The series derives from Magowan’s own upbringing as a young dancer raised in a milieu of apparent but constraining privilege. One’s sense of worth is inherently evaluated through a society that teaches us that anything less that the best doesn’t count. With such unrealistic expectations placed as the bar for self worth, the very real fear of failure looms large. The universality of the work, despite its aesthetics, is in the vulnerability of its young subjects.