Constructing an Identity
A person’s identity is crafted through several means. It is the collection of different aspects that a person is able to accurately declare their identity. In Judith Howard’s reading Social Psychology of Identities, she explains what “Identity and social inequalities particularly as expressed in race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other systems of social stratification” (Howard). Humans cognitive function works by creating categories in order to process information from their surroundings more effectively. The human brain is constructed to process information through schemas. It is this pre-set thinking within the brain that tries to organize information into categories and patterns. Unfortunately, humans cannot be put into a box. A person identity is not determined through dichotomist thinking. Humans are fluid and bend stereotypes. So when humans “construct” their identity, they cross over the boundaries and pick from various places in order to represent who they are.
In many of the pieces of art that were displayed in the exhibit, the artist incorporated culture. Many people identify the country they grew up in or where the roots of their ancestors came from. Culture is projected through music, food, language, religion, superstitions, and habits. Since culture takes over so much in a personas life, it is one of the best ways to help identify a person. The exhibit also diverged into more specific themes to help organize and make the art flow together to create a whole exhibit of identity. These divisions are civic, artistic, professional, and religious. The exhibit also examined a sense of belonging with a group and community and nonconformity and within that, how a person is able to find their own space. The exhibit beautifully explained how people are put into boxes through the organization and placement of the gallery, but then explains how a person may drift in order to find themselves. This ultimately explains how people can change, adjust, and transform to take on new parts of their identity while still keeping their larger self.
2008
The first piece of artwork I decided to choose from the exhibit was Kehinde Wiley’s “Matar Mbaye. This piece of art was so striking to me when I passed by it because of the bold colors. The background is a soft green with additional colors represented through birds and flowery whimsical leaves. In addition, these flowers and birds go in front of the African American man standing in the picture. The African American man is greyscaled and the only color on him is his lips and clothing. The artist stripped race from the man so race did not play a role in his representation. He wanted to represent that there is more to a person than their exterior. It shows that when you remove the surface of a person, there is so much more underneath. Also, the flowers and birds are on top of his chest which represents a femineity to him and shows that although he is a man, he has these “girly” and “soft” parts of him. This piece of art reminds me of the article from The Guardian by Decca Aitkenhead “Drag is a big f-you to male-dominated culture” because of the drag queens vulnerability and how they present themselves. In the article, it says “For all the artifice of their outfits, the queens make themselves emotionally naked for us, by turns poignant, comic, vulnerable and heroic”(Aitkenhead). This connects back to the painting because although on the outside people look a certain way, there is more underneath. Also, that just because you are a man, you do not only need to have many attributes.
Untitled (Ebo Landing) from the Sea Island Series
1992
Another piece of artwork I thought represented identity well was the Untitled (Ebo Landing) from the Sea Island Series. The people that live on the Sea Islands and Ebo Landing, which is a barrier island off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, live in isolation. They are descendants of freed slaves and because they do not have interaction with outsiders, they have developed their own unique culture by creating their own and has influence from African and Creole traditions. The artwork depicts the environment of palm trees, the sea, and the marshy land. Weems photos support the history of the Ebo men’s story about refusing to be enslaved. These men went hand in hand and walked into the water together. As one united force, they chanted “the water brought us, the water will take us”. They all walked forward and drowned. In the photo, the leaves are shown blowing which represents their spirits still lingering and their chants still heard. This photo reminded me of the article I read about the transformation of Chinatown in NYC. The shop owners and people who lived there took their old traditions from China and incorporated it into American culture. Chinatown now has a distinct culture by having a mixed influence and then establishing its own identity through it.
Ben Jones Juxtapositions #11
1989
In this piece of art, the artist wanted to express the disparities within the art. He was inspired by seeing a homeless man on the street and a woman walking with a fur coat on next to him. The opposite ends of the spectrum in lifestyles inspired him to make this piece of art. He created very refined and geometric pieces and then contrasts them with art that is very expressionistic and has a lot of creativity within it. He shows the complexity of society by showing the tension that lives in humans everyday life. By showing the face of the man, he shows the contrasts between the two concepts of having rational and irrational thinking.
Rafael Ferrer Notes
1998-1999
This piece of art was taken from a black and which photograph which he changed by incorporating his own style. Ferrer is originally from Puerto Rico and now is living in New York City. He wanted to create a piece of art that shows both a “possessive and performative gesture” to show that planning out your art through drawing is a crucial step when trying to create something. He represented all of the types of mediums through this piece of art. He wanted to capture a piece of art that traces back to having been involved with drawing, photography, painting, and sculpting.
Leonard Baskin Crazy Horse
1974
This is a monument of Lakota Sioux who was the leader of the Crazy Horse. The artists had been very sympathetic to the Native Americans and how society treated them. This captures him after he beat the battle against General Custer. Baskin was able to put both tragedy and dignity into one piece of art. Baskin also shows that the human figure has much power. He also said that “The human figure is the image of all men and one man. It contains all and can express all”. This means that society as a whole is represented as one and that all people ina society are unified together. But also that it can represent each individual person within the society.
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