Anonymous_ X Series

Anonymous X paintings assert: “I.” or self, is a tidy fiction necessary to distinguish what is proper to you and that is proper me. It creates the illusion that ego is a singular and complete entity. As the story goes; when a child perceives its likeness in a mirror, it recognizes itself as distinct from others. So begins the process of individuation: I, me, self, and the world. A second order of cognition arises from mirrored illusions. The image appears to be what it is not, real, not an actual subject or person. Negation within “I." The subject never sees their actual face, but a reflection of it. Only other subjects can see their actual face. I am, I am not, are not simple, not static. Individuals live many selves: lover, custodian, teacher, politician, friend, banker, police, dreamer, plumber, care-giver, parent etc. Identity is plural. Can a person be truly authentic, truly be themselves, when there are so many selves? Lives are porous. Anonymous _X paintings undermine political-economic use of identity/authenticity which monetize and divide social relations. Under each painting is a fully completed portrait. A black strip negates visual cues of class, race, gender, celebrity, orientation, aspects of, not the whole of being human.