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In the play between revelation and concealment in these "self-portraits",
the thin line between the act of documentation and performance are
often blurred. The idea of how technology has shaped our notions
of identity (identity as database) is certainly present in all the
pieces, yet emotive and ritualistic elements exist alongside the
repetitive hum-drum of everyday life, occasionally breaking its
dull veneer in moments of arresting beauty and sadness. Format and
dimensions variable. Best presented in a discrete space.
Self-Portrait (Untitled)
- 1999
A sculptural element in the form of a (50' x 8.5") list, made
out of transparent acetate. The acetate is printed with text that
listed my daily activities in an itemized format. The initial list
is copied and rearranged to create a repetitive yet randomized set
of activities, which ranges from the mundane to startling to poignant.
The piece is usually hung from the ceiling, with the excess length
gathered on the floor.
Self-Portrait (Listening...)
A looped single-channel video piece mastered on DVD. It can be presented
as a wall-size projection or on a monitor. This piece consists of
a series of video performances done over time: I will videotape
my facial expressions while listening to music on headphones. The
series of close-up, frontal headshots will be silent, so that the
viewers can focus on the minute changes in my facial expressions.
The song titles and artists will be identified by text captions
that appear before each of the segments. A sense of my identity
of will be constructed through the sequencing of the music, their
pop-cultural associations, and my performed reactions to them.
Self-Portrait (Site-Specific)
This piece should be created anew for every show, and must be destroyed
when the exhibition ends. It can only exist as an artwork for the
duration of the show. Its appearance should be adapted from the
wall-text for each exhibition—same font, color, size, format
(silk-screened, vinyl cut-out, etc.) The text will be a list of
activities I performed in the exhibition space while installing
the show. Like Self-Portrait (Untitled), the activities
listed will range from the typical to the unexpected.
© Ming-Yuen S. Ma 2000 All rights reserved
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