The Inside Joke
My latest artwork, "Narcissistic Graffiti," is equal parts social commentary, ongoing Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos theme, and an inside joke (for those of you that get it). On the surface, it depicts a skeleton posing in front of a graffiti wall, looking away. It is part of my larger series of paintings titled "The Inside Joke" (you can see the full gallery at elvissantana.com) and serves as a visual exploration of narcissism. The eyes of a narcissist can be deeply unsettling — sometimes dead and vacant, sometimes predatory or filled with hate — each revealing a different state of mind. In this piece, I chose the vacant stare, symbolizing disengagement and detachment. Narcissists often drift away, even in the presence of others, both physically and emotionally. The smile without the eyes, the look of emptiness behind the grin — these subtle cues reflect a lack of genuine connection and the hollow nature of performative emotion.
"Narcissistic Graffiti" also explores dissociation, that chilling state when a narcissist “checks out” during conflict or rage, their face becoming an unfamiliar mask as their emotional self disappears. The vacant eyes and false smile expose the inner void, the emotional disconnect that defines them. Against this psychological backdrop, I contrasted the plain white of the skeleton with bright pinks and vibrant aqua tones, both as a stylistic contrast and a deeper layer of commentary for those who understand "The Inside Joke." The graffiti wall represents the illusion — a bright, chaotic display masking the decay beneath — a metaphor for how narcissists decorate their lives to hide what truly lies within.
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Private Collection