Sunday, June 3, 2012

Amelia Jones + the female narcissist

…the female narcissist is dangerous to patriarchy because she obviates the desiring male subject (loving herself, she needs no confirmation of her desirability from him). in the case of an artistic practice that performs female narcissism (such as wilke’s), the threat lies in its making superfluous the arbiters of artistic value. already presuming her desirability, wilke obviates the modernist critical system; loving herself, she needs no confirmation of her artistic “value.” 
Amelia Jones, Body Art: Performing the Subject


I haven't read Amelia Jones, I came upon this quote on another blog. But I think it articulates why artists like Cindy Sherman, Marina Abramovic, Orlan are fascinating to me and a lot of people. This level of self regard is kind of riveting, especially when the culture considers self involvement or 'selfish'ness to be a character flaw. What then do you make of prolific female artists who make huge bodies of work which at it's essence is about self regard?






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