Facing the lens of the camera: bodies, self-portraiture, portraiture and identity in women artists' video.

Leuzzi, Laura

Abstract

Since its commercial inception and availability in the late 60s and 70s, video has acted as a powerful tool for women artists to explore feminist issues and debunk stereotypes re-perpetrated over the centuries by patriarchal society. In resonance with the fights carried on by the feminist movement, many women artists have engaged with the recurring theme of identity and representation of the self, from an intimate or a public perspective. Over the decades, women artists' approach and these themes have developed with the medium, echoing current battles for civil rights and recognition. These developments have been stimulated and inspired by the legacy of pioneers from the 60s and 70s. This chapter explores how identity as a theme has evolved and how it has innovated the genre of self-portrait, questioning its tropes and topoi. The chapter does this through the analysis of three case studies: Pipilotti Rist, Pilar Albarracín and Elisabetta di Sopra.

Citation

LEUZZI, L. 2023. Facing the lens of the camera: bodies, self-portraiture, portraiture and identity in women artists' video. In Dreckmann, K. and Vomberg, E. (eds.) More than illustrated music: aesthetics of hybrid media between pop, art and video. New York: Bloomsbury Academic [online], chapter 8, pages 93-105. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781501381263.0015

• Online Publication Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 9, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 20, 2023
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Pages: 93-105
• Series Title: New approaches to sound, music and media
• Book Title: More than illustrated music: aesthetics of hybrid media between pop, art and video
• Chapter Number: 8
• ISBN: 9781501381232; 9781501381270
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781501381263.0015
• Keywords: Women artists; Video art; Self-portraiture; Feminism and art; Feminism
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2139071