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CREATIVE IDENTITY

 When exploring one’s creative identity, one must firstly understand what it means to possess one. In Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle’s An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (2004), it is recognised that one’s identity refers firstly to how one sees themselves and secondly to how others see them. 

This disturbs the question of an artist’s creative identity being refined in their artwork (). Is a creative identity manufactured?

In my critical processing and creation of art, I see a recurring personality but I would not call it a facade. Australian artist Gordon Bennett said in an interview that his “every work to date has been a self-portrait” (Coslovich 2004). This not only refers to his reflections on himself but also the image constructed of him by other people. 

Displayed: Self portrait (But I always wanted to be one of the good guys),Gordon Bennett, 1990

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AUTHENTICITY

Definitive authenticity is that which is unique and truthful (Daws, L 2014). Authenticity through art: An interesting analogy would be to compare one’s artistic output to that of a social media profile (see Tagg 2016). Although it is with ease one may create an entirely new identity, it would lack authenticity and therefore truth.

An artist renowned for her boldly authentic approach to art is Frida Kahlo (see picture). Psychologist Dr. James Bridger Harris said, “It is Kahlo’s heroic battle in the face of feeling defective, deformed, and unloved that everyone taps into” (as quoted in Collins 2013). It is her authenticity allows for an empathetic connection between artist and observer.

 Displayed: FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954), 'Self Portrait', 1940 (oil on board)

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FRACTURED IDENTITY

What is referred to as a “fractured identity” is the concept of one possessing a multifaceted identity (Barker 2012, pp. 223-225). This anti-essentialism approach is adopted by many modern artists as a way of vocalizing “…that the problems society faces are a result of intersecting forms of discrimination toward various social groups” (MOMA 2016). An example of this being explored is Glenn Ligon’s Series Runaways, in which he asked his friends to write descriptions of him as if for a missing persons report. He was surprised to see a distinct similarity to those of the post-Emancipation slave ads (see picture).

Displayed: Untitled from Runaways, Glenn Ligon 1993. 1 of 10 lithographs; composition (irreg.): 12 9/16 x 8 15/16" (31.9 x 22.7 cm); sheet: 16 x 12" (40.7 x 30.5 cm)

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SOCIAL IDENTITY

A “social identity” is the external view of a subject. The feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s demanded a social identity for the unspoken peoples of that era (i.e. minorities of gender, sexuality, race, etc.). According to Anthony Giddens (1984) the social identity one holds determines their role in society (quoted in Barker 2012). An artist who reacts against this notion is Antonin Artaud. His poetry, sketches and theatre were designed to “shock people out of their passivity” (Jannarone 2010, pp. 87). Through his surrealist art, he wanted to disturb his audiences enough to force them to realise their subjectivity and then empower them to change it (see video for more).

 Link: Antonin Artaud: Practical Approaches to a Theatre of Cruelty (Preview)

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UNCONSCIOUS

Often referred to as the “subconscious”, Sigmund Freud’s theory explores the aspects of the human psyche of which we are unaware (Mansfield 2000). Freud claimed that the unconscious was “contacted” through dreams, parapraxes and jokes. Parallel to this concept, artists such as Salvador Dali experimented with the surreal, focussing particularly on the illogical aesthetic of dreams (Salvador Dali Museum 2017) (see picture). In unleashing the unconscious mind, Dali’s works are universally relevant while remaining uniquely personal; not dissimilar to the shared fears and desires of the human condition. Connection with the inner psyche allows for subconscious mutual understanding and provocation.

 Displayed: Salvador Dali, Temptation of St. Anthony, Oil 60 x 110 cm

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SUBJECTIVITY

Subjectivity is the condition of being consciously aware of one’s ties to their identity; to ask of subjectivity is to ask about what defines someone as a person (Bennett, A & Royle, N 2004, pp.). By utilising the term “subject” in lieu of “person” or “individual”, it is implied that the subject is question is subject to both themselves and their external susceptibilities. This is opposing the connotations of individuality and freedom (Bennett, A & Royle, N 2004). 

 Being “cultural subjects” (Barker, C 2012, pp. 218.) means that by being inextricably bound to culture and identity, artists must be aware of their artistic subjections also. For example, Gordon Bennett (pictured), being by blood a member of Aboriginal Australia, wanted to disregard the title of being an “Aboriginal artist” (National Gallery of Victoria 2014).

 Displayed: Gordon Bennett, Self portrait (nuance II), 1994, eight genatin silver prints, 50.8 x 40.6cm.

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CREATIVE INFLUENCE

It has become a popular expression across artist mediums to “steal” work (Kleon, 2012, pp. 5-6). Not used literally, this implies that inspiration must be taken from other things; defying the originality of work.

An artist who is renowned for this is the street artist Banksy. His political statements are communicated to everyday people in an intimate medium that clearly portrays controversial topics.

A specific example (see photo) shows iconic American figures happily holding with a laughing girl… only it doesn’t. The centre figure is taken from a photo of a girl running from an American bomb raid, her clothes burned from her body.

Influences are powerful tools used by artists to reference things outside of their own circle of work.

 Displayed: Banksy, Napalm, 2004, Screen-print on untreated cartridge paper

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ESSENTIALISM

 The essentialist perspective retains that the definition of identity is whole in individuality. That is, there is a “centre” inside every “individual” which is not entirely accessible by the conscious mind (Barker, C 2012, pp. 221-223). A similar ideaology is brought forth in Naum Gabo and Anton Pevner’s The Realistic Manifesto:

“We renounce in a line, its descriptive value; in real life there are no descriptive fanes, description is an accidental trace of a man on things, it is not bound up with tfie essential life and constant structure of the body. Descriptiveness is an element of graphic illustration and decoration.”

 (Gabo & Pervner 1920)

 Gabo and Pervner are saying that there is such a form or essential element to not just people, but ideas and objects. In their art, they strive to achieve a connection to that “other” (as referred to in Fink 1995, pp. 3-4).

Displayed: Linear Space Construction No. 2 Naum Gabo, 1959-1960

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SENSORY KNOWLEDGE

Knowing that is achieved through senses is known as sensory knowledge. It is the intrinsic and instinctive understanding that one gains through touch, taste, smell, etc. (Howes 2005). This tangible knowing is employed in performance art. It could be argued that artists such as Marina Abramovic are possibly experiencing art to its fullest extent because of their utter emersion. In performances such as Rhythm 0 (1974), Marina surrenders herself to the space and feels things totally.

 Pictured: Rhythm 0 - Marina Abramović 1974

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OVERDETERMINATION

According to Freudian theory, “over-thinking” something is impossible; i.e. the further a matter is analysed, the more there is to gain. An example of this in an artistic sense would be Robert Wilson’s theatre. Wilson removes what he refers to as “aesthetic fascism”, meaning that his work, although often using narrative and theme, refrains from pushing a point of view onto the audience (Holmberg 1996). Some artists utilise this in their practice to provoke thought untainted by the creator.

Through nonsense and ambiguity, Wilson creates provoking material (see video).

In my artistic practice, particularly though poetry, I allow for open metaphors and imagery to articulate an aesthetic through language. This is a linguistic approach to the thoughtfulness achieved through overdetermination.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY/ REFERENCES

Antonin Artaud: Practical Approaches to a Theatre of Cruelty (Preview) 2010, video published 2010, account Pumpkin Interactive.

Barker, C 2012, 'Issues of subjectivity and identity', in Cultural studies: theory and practice, 4th ed., SAGE, London, pp. 219-251.

Bennett, Andrew & Royle, Nicholas 2004,'Me', in an introduction to literature, criticism and theory, Fifth edition., Pearson Education Limited pp. 150-158.

Collins, AF 2013, Diary of a Mad Artist in Vanity Fair.

Daws, L 2014, Interview with Dr. Loray Daws on the Subject of Authenticity, on Blog Talk Radio, Vancouver, Washington.

Fink, B 1995, 'Language and otherness: a slip of the other's tongue', in The Lacanian subject : between language and jouissance, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., pp. 3-13.

Gabo, N & Pervner A 1920, Art Theory, http://theoria.art-zoo.com.

Gabriella Coslovich, ‘Bennett puts on a brave face’, The Age, 28 April, 2004.

Holmberg, A 1996, The Theatre of Robert Wilson, Cambridge University Press, UK.

Howes, D 2005, 'Skinscapes: embodiment, culture, and environment', in Classen, Constance The book of touch, Berg, Oxford, pp. 27-39.

Jannarone, K 2010, Artaud and His Doubles, University of Michigan, Michigan, pp. 87.

Kleon, A 2012, Steal Like an Artist, Thomas Allen & Son Limited, Canada, pp. 5-6.

Mansfield, N 2000, ‘Freud and the split subject’, in Subjectivity: theories of the self from Freud to Haraway, New York University Press, New York, pp. 25-37.

National Gallery of Victoria 2014, Education: Gordon Bennett, Exploring Identity - Self-Portraiture.

RHINOCEROS 2014, written by Eugène Ionesco, directed by Robert Wilson, video published 2014, account ‘emi chirea’.

Salvador Dali Museum 2017, Timeline, http://thedali.org/timeline/.

Tagg, C & Seargeant, P 2016, Facebook and the discursive construction of the social network’, in A Geirgakopoulou & T Spilioti (eds), The Routledge handbook of language and digital communication, Routledge, New York, pp. 342-347.