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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