alcohol marker, color pencil, and ink; 16×20″
“Have you ever been scrolling through social media and felt so distracted from the real world? Social media can be a distraction to us and our problems. I want to advocate for a healthy relationship between us and social media without the banning of phones or apps. Social media is still a right and should not be controlled. In my piece, white chess pieces looking at the screen represent the people who are distracted by social media. They are up in numbers. The black pieces represent problems in our lives. Even though black is low in numbers, they could easily checkmate white with the queen. If white pieces could look away, they could easily defeat black with their numbers. My message is for the viewer to take a step back from their phone and face their life’s problems head-on.”
ARTIST BIO: Arrun DEBNATH is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.