Constructing An Identity

The notion of constructing an identity is based on a multitude of factors. Judith Howard explains this phenomenon in her essay, “Social Psychology of Identities.” “In current times…the concept of identity carries the full weight of the need for a sense of who one is, together with an often overwhelming pace of change in surrounding social contexts—changes in the groups and networks in which people and their identities are embedded and in the societal structures and practices in which those networks are themselves embedded.” (367). Her analysis of the conception of identity coincides with some pieces of art from the exhibit at the Montclair Museum:

The first work of art I chose from the exhibit is a photograph of a drag queen. In the Guardian article “RuPaul: ‘Drag is a big f-you to male-dominated culture’”, RuPaul discusses how those that participate in the art of drag are rejecting this preconceived notion of what identity should be: “It’s a totem, a constant touchstone to say, ‘Don’t take any of this shit seriously.’ It’s a big f-you. So the idea of sticking to one identity – it’s like I don’t care, I’m a shapeshifter, I’m going to fly around and use all the colours, and not brand myself with just one colour” (Aitkenhead). Drag queens, like Misty, use nonconformity as a sense of their identity.

IDENTITY AND NONCONFORMITY

Nan Goldin

Misty and Joey at Hornstrasse, Berlin, 1992

I chose another photograph that illustrates nonconformity as a sense of identity. “Jo’s tattooed arms and short hair, aspects of a counter-culture lifestyle as a professional piercer and acupuncturist, are subsumed with her almost regal pose and thoughtful demeanor.” The fact that Jo is not stereotypically female yet posed in a thoughtful way shows that identity is not concretely based on societal norms. Identity is made up of many aspects. This photograph breaks the stereotypes surrounding Jo’s identity.

IDENTITY AND NONCONFORMITY

Catherine Opie

Jo, 1993

I chose another photograph, but this one highlights how societal stereotypes affect identity: “Bey wishes to explore “how young people see themselves through the lens of race, gender, class, and culture” because “a continuing set of social clichés and stereotypes cling to this population. Rather than viewing them through a lens of social problematics that generalizes the individual, which is often the case, I intend to make a rich and complex description of these subjects.”” Smokey, like Jo, illustrates the importance of identity in relation to the majority culture. One can feel inferior if their identity is seen as something that generalizes them as problematic or not like the majority culture.

ETHNIC AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

Dawoud Bey

Smokey, 2001

“Kruger’s work questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, desire, and individual autonomy, contrasting with the black-and-white images she culls from mainstream magazines that monetize these very ideas.” These questions that Kruger’s work asks have can an effect on one’s identity because of how society pushes them. Therefore, it’s important to have a discussion about these topics that are deeply imbedded in society and culture. “The act of seeing is one imbued with power, and Kruger’s ultimate goal is to intercept the stereotype, code, or convention by which power is arbitrarily imposed.” In a patriarchal society, the male gaze is a powerful component and Kruger’s photo challenges this.

ETHNIC AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

Barbara Kruger

Untitled (Seeing through you), 2004-05

The last photo I chose was about space because of the importance it has on identity. The photograph shows a bathroom and an eye where the mirror should be. “She emphasizes the particular scrutiny women endure with the superimposed image of an eye, or “the internalized eye of CULTURE looking at every woman, even in the privacy of her own ‘sacred space,’ the American bathroom.”” Howard discusses the importance of “place identities” and how it affects a person’s identity (382). The way society sees a woman can affect them even in their most private places, which can have a negative affect on their identity because they are always trying to achieve the identity that society wants.

IDENTITY AND PERSONAL SPACES

Martha Rosler

Vanity Eye (Bathroom Surveillance) from Beauty Knows No Pain, or Body Beautiful, 1966-72