Identity: Further Thoughts
Identity: Further Thoughts
What is identity?
Identity is a person's sense of self and is identified through a person's unique characteristics, affiliations, and social roles. It starts to develop during childhood when our caregivers and environment influence us, and during adolescence, when we start to question who we are and we fit into society.
A lot of artists use art to make sense of their identities, often showing an interest in art during their adolescence. It is therefore no coincidence that adolescents discover their sense of self by experimenting with different roles and behaviours (or artistic styles). This process is incredibly important, however it isn't always straight forward. For example, some caregivers and social circumstances may restrict person's ability to experiment, and as a result, these adolescents may not fully discover a sense of self or a life purpose for a while.
Erikson (1956) calls the stage of self-discovery 'identity vs role confusion'. According to this idea, individuals form their identities after testing various roles, behaviours, and social strategies. When they can't complete this stage effectively, it leads to role confusion. Role confusion can be considered to be a lack of social identity, they may feel unsure about themselves of how they fit into society. Not knowing who they are or what they want, they may struggle to settle into a career path or have healthy relationships. Art is a way that people can express themselves without the constraints of everyday life and judgement from others. It can be a way to show who they are, and others can often relate to these pieces of work in a way that they can't with none-identity related artwork. An example of this process is Cathy Lu, where she makes art relating to her experiences with a 'trans-cultural' identity (she was born into a Chinese family in Miami in a community of Cuban people).
When it comes to identity, there are 8 main categories to think about. These are:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity
- Ability
- Religion or Spirituality
- Nationality
- Socioeconomic Status
I have chosen to focus on four of these topics: race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status, as these areas of very interesting to me.
Showing Identity in Art
Since the 20th century, many artists have used art to present their authentic life experiences and to challenge social perceptions if identity and systematic issues that marginalise them in society. Everyone can make this type of art, but the most obvious (they come across as challenging perspectives, rather than looking like art that's been made for hundreds of art) are artists of colour, LGBTQIA+, disabled and indigenous artists (e.g. Frida Kahlo and Emily Kame Kngwarreye). Art can make waves in society in a way nothing else can, it can both be bold (Micheal Reeder), or it can be subtle (Andres Suárez), only showing its meaning to those who are already aware of the issues.
There is no specific type style of identity art, but the umbrella term can be useful to recognise practices that prioritise the topics of artist's identities and the worlds perception of their work. Most art in history comes from the perspective of the white, male, heterosexual-normative experiences, identity art is an attempt to encourage conversation and change the way that these artworks don't represent everyone, and should no longer be the norm.
Identity art has already made great changes regarding the museums, galleries, and critics treat work by historically marginalised groups. An example of this was when Barack and Michelle Obama commissioned portraits by Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley. The Obama's were the first black president and first lady, and Sherald and Wiley were the first black artists commissioned for paintings that hang in the National Portrait Gallery. This was a good example of the difference art can make as it made people talk about why were only white artists shown in the gallery, and why did it take this long to change?
It is very important, however, to acknowledge the fact that an artist who makes 'identity art' is not only and 'identity artist'. The artist may choose to portray these ideas in their work, but they are artists in their own right. They make art because they choose to, and it may not always be on the topic of identity. This does not make them any less of an advocate, but it shows that the act of making identity art, is not their identity itself, just a small example of what they can and choose to do.
Examples
Race: Kerry James Marshall
Past Times, 1997
In the past two decades, there has been a rise of figurative art and it has ben welcomed by a new wave of younger black artists. For many of them, Marshall has been a primary inspiration. Rashid Johnson, one of the strongest voices in contemporary art said, 'Kerry's influence expands so far beyond his own projects. He's an electric and dynamic thinker who's had an enormous influence on those of us who use abstraction and more conceptual approaches. Two artists without whom I probably would not have become one - David Hammons and Kerry James Marshall'.
To me, this painting reminds me of the endless amount of paintings we have of white people doing everyday things, but there is hardly any of black people doing the same. I remember all the art I was shown growing up, whether that be in school or in museums, and not one of them depicted a black person doing everyday normal things. As a matter of fact, if there was one showing a black person, they were often depicted as slaves or staff for their white counterparts. He brings awareness to the fact that black people don't get the same exposure in the art world by making the figures unmistakably black. They have no shading or features that could distract the viewer away from the primary message of his work, and I believe that is a brilliant way of showing this idea without being obviously political, which could turn away some viewers from properly looking at his work.
Marshall has extensive knowledge of art history, including black folk art, which contributes to his compositions. His subject matter comes from black culture and stereotypes, as well as his own experiences. His paintings are very colourful while the figures are always painted with deep black pigments.
Gender: Zanele Muholi
Brave Beauties series, 2014
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa have suffered continuous 'corrective' and 'curative rapes', physical and psychological assaults and hate crimes despite the equality that was promised in South Africa's 1996 constitution. Muholi works from their own community to create strong and positive images of empowered individuals, and to dignify of the 'voiceless' and marginalised community.
The scale of these photographs [HOW BIG] highlights the resilience of those pictured, and it confronts the viewer to accept their identity and self-expression. The viewer has no choice but to look at what's in front of them, both visually, and the choices they can make to better themselves and their actions towards those who have been marginalised for so long. Each photo is in black and white, emphasising the strength they hold, and removing any unnecessary details that don't add to the message Muholi is sending. This is us, you can't defeat us, you have to accept us.
Religion: Abdullah M I Syed
Flying Rug, 2008-present
The name, Flying Rug, hints at the Arabian tales of magic carpets from as far back as the 9th century (in the Arabian One Thousand and One Nights, and more recently the Disney movie Aladdin). One tale says that God gifted King Solomon a carpet that could fly, and could carry over 40,000 men. It later became a symbol of power within the Islamic religion, and are pointed in the direction of Mecca during prayer.
When looked at from a distance, the rug hangs high, with the shadows casting beautiful shapes on the walls, but when looks at closer you can see the US dollar bills use to make it. This adds a whole new layer to the piece, as it hints at the horrific current reality of the relationship between America and the Islamic religion. Since 9/11 many Americans have blamed Muslims for the event, and it has caused the world to question or fear people who have lived peacefully together for thousands of years. Even now, the effects of 9/11 continue to affect our lives, even more so with air travel, and more broadly, islamophobia. The use of the bills doesn't directly tell the viewer a story, but is up to the viewer to make a connection, and what connection they make.
Socioeconomic Status: Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled, 1982
He made himself known by name in the art world at age 20, creating art in a radically different art style from what was popular at the time (expressionism). He participated in his first public exhibition in The Times Square Show in 1980, and his career took off from there. In 1983 he started to collaborate with the well-known artists, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 he appeared on the cover of the weekly New York Times Magazine as a representative of the contemporary art-making trend.
Once he stated to make more money from his art, he was not afraid to show it. In art it was, and sometimes still is, a taboo to highlight how much money you make, but Basquiat showed his by showing up in an Armani suit and drinking 'kir royale' with the art elite. H had gone from selling drawings for $50 in 1980, to selling paintings for $25,000 towards the end of his life. He was incredibly successful at this point, but struggled with a drug addiction, later dying because of it in 1988 at age 27.
A person's socioeconomic status is based on their education, income and type of job. Even though Basquiat was born into a middle class family, he ran away from home, causing him to 'become' low income, rather than be born into it. He also never received any formal art education, and he dropped out of high school when he ran away. I could find no information about a job before his art career, and it is these reasons, as well as his drastic change in conditions, that I class Basquiat as an artist dealing with socioeconomic status.
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