Figures is a series of hyperrealistic photographic portraits depicting people pretending to be using their smartphone. These days we all adopt, often without realising, postures that have become commonplace through the generalised use of mobile devices. The series reimagines those postures as classical poses and seeks to acknowledge their place in today’s world. Unlike classical portraits, however, the work represents its subjects as generic types which are purposely devoid of any embellishments. In parallel to the exposed yet secretive practice of using a mobile device, the portraits take away all context to highlight a kind of pose that enables mobile device users to put themselves publicly on hold as they retreat into a private mode of communication. The depicted poses were not created by either artist or subject; they are the incidental result of a technology that shapes its users in ways they don’t usually notice and turns them into puppets.