‘Flowers By Irene’, an exhibition by Riley Beaumont and James Brett, brings together processes of abstraction and the ever-fertile world of conspiracy theories. In a time increasingly shaped by the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, we are confronted with new realities where truth itself becomes a commodity manipulated by forces both visible and unseen. The line between fact and fiction is blurred by the algorithms that govern our digital lives, by the media narratives designed to stir division, and by the deliberate disinformation campaigns that permeate social and political spheres. Today, the concept of ‘truth’ is no longer a universal constant but a construct that shifts according to the interests of those who control the flow of information.
Nature, once a direct and unmediated experience for humankind, has now become subject to the same forces of distortion. In the same way that consumer culture has redefined our aesthetic ideals, so too has the digital landscape reshaped our perception of reality, leaving us to question what is real and what is fabricated or manipulated for ulterior motives. The creation of truth is no longer the domain of scientists, journalists, or philosophers alone—it is crafted by a multitude of actors: internet trolls, political operatives, social media influencers, and shady organisations. These forces work together to weave a complex web of narratives that challenge the very idea of an objective reality.
In Flowers By Irene, Beaumont and Brett reflect on how contemporary art engages with this disorienting new world, questioning whether the ‘truth’ of reality can still be found beneath the layers of distortion and manipulation, or whether, in this post-truth age, the concept of truth itself is in danger of becoming a relic. Is reality simply a product of the narratives we are fed, or does it exist somewhere beyond the veil of manufactured stories?