"We live in the hyperreal world Baudrillard warned us about—where the image of Basquiat is just as famous as his art, where his crown motif is stamped on sneakers and luxury goods, where his rebellious spirit is now a brand. The artist becomes the muse of an entire industry. Yet, in this process, does the artist retain agency, or do they dissolve into the spectacle?

I want to capture that paradox. The girl studies Basquiat, idolizes him, wears her admiration boldly. But is she engaging with his truth, or with the version of Basquiat that has been curated, commodified, and repackaged for her consumption? Just as Warhol’s Marilyn became an icon beyond herself, Basquiat now exists in multiple realities—his art, his myth, his merchandise. The question remains: in the era of endless reproduction, where does the real Basquiat exist? And as new generations look up to past icons, are they finding inspiration, or merely reflections of an image too distorted to grasp?"