ARH2000 Art & Culture: Exploring Identity Through Morimura & Sherman

This report delves into the exploration of identity in art through the works of two contemporary artists, Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman. It examines three art pieces from each artist, analyzing their depictions of identity, gender equality, and social conditions. Morimura's work, including 'Black Marilyn' and 'An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo,' challenges gender and racial barriers. Sherman's conceptual portraits, such as 'Bus Riders' and 'A Play of Selves,' reflect social realities and the complexities of identity. The report concludes with a discussion of an imagined artwork that embodies the freedom from restrictive identity constructs, highlighting the power of art to express individual experiences and societal critiques.

Running head: ART AND IDENTITY
Art and Identity
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ART AND IDENTITY
Art is the expression of human beings on the surface of the earth. Expressing one’s
feelings does not always mean that it has to be stated in explicit formal sentences; it can take
various shapes such as that of painting, dancing, singing and so on (Iskin, Ruth). This paper
seeks to discuss the arts of two of the most important artists of the contemporary times that is
Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman. The report further looks in to three art pieces of these
two artists and seeks to analyze the depiction of the art pieces. The report concludes with an
imaginative piece of art by myself and how it is relevant to the theme of identity.
Yasumasa Morimura was a Japanese artist, born on 11th June, 1951 (Iskin, Ruth). He was
born in the city of Osaka and attained his graduation degree from the esteemed Kyoto City
University of Arts in the year 1978 (Iskin, Ruth). Yasumasa Morimura was an extremely
enthusiastic artist and his art had the unique feature of depicting his own body and face in the
arts of others. He is popularly known to break any barrier of discrimination such as that of
gender, racial and ethnic barriers. Yasumasa Morimura dealt extensively with the idea of identity
seeking to destroy the barriers which constrict the concept of identity to only one particular
aspect. One of the art works of Yasumasa Morimura is that of Black Marilyn. He painted this in
1995 and the art work beautifully depicts the modern woman who is unabashed to show the
world her true uncontrollable nature (Artsy.net). Yasumasa Morimura is known to paint the
figures of famous women as an inspiration to his audience so that they may break the barriers of
gender discrimination. Another one of his painting is that of An Inner Dialouge with Frida
Kahlo (Artsy.net). Frida Kahlo is one of the most significant personalities who revolutionized the
cause of the women kind by following her dreams in a world controlled by men. Yasumasa
Morimura drew her to portray her fiery nature to the audience. The third piece of art chosen by

2ART AND IDENTITY
Yasumasa Morimura is that of Silvia Kristel, Emmanuelle 5 which was painted in the year of
1995 (Artsy.net). The painting shows a bold woman sitting on a throne, surrounded by an aura of
power and dignity. Through this painting Yasumasa Morimura wanted to showcase the fiery
power possessed by the women to do as they desire.
Cindy Sherman is another significant artist of the contemporary times. She was born on
19th January, in the year 1954, in the city of New Jersey (Barnes, Allegra). She is popular
because of her concept of conceptual portraits. Cindy Sherman also painted for the cause of
gender equality and her art forms have the unique feature of depicting the real social conditions
of the society (Rice, Robin). She is famous both for her pieces of artwork and for her
photography skills where she dresses herself up in different costumes and possess for various
roles. One of her best works is that of Bus Riders which was photographed over the period of
1976 to 2000 (Artsy.net). In this series of photographs, Cindy Sherman photographed the faces
of different passengers on the bus, irrespective of their gender or races. Another important work
by Cindy Sherman is that of Murder Mystery (Artsy.net). In this series of six photographs, she
shows the depiction of a murder in a poor resolution of photos. A Play of Selves is perhaps the
most important work of Sherman where she shows a woman dressed up in different alter egos
and the conflict amongst them till the woman finally manages to win over her self-doubt
(Artsy.net). All of these pieces of art make important contributions to the idea of identity.
Conforming to the idea of identity, I would like to paint an art where the gender
restrictions are not adhered to. The painting would be based during the time of dusk where nearly
all the colors are represented in the sky. The painting of the gender neutral person looking up at
the sky filled with all the hues of nature will depict the freedom yearned by an individual from
the chains of identity.

3ART AND IDENTITY
In conclusion it is observed that Art involves the expression of feelings in any form that
an individual may desire; the only criteria is that is has to be understood by other human beings
what the artist is trying to say or portray. The concept of identity is portrayed clearly in the
works of the artists mentioned in the report.

4ART AND IDENTITY
References:
"Yasumasa Morimura | Black Marilyn (1995) | Available for Sale | Artsy". Artsy.net, 2019.
Online. Internet. 4 Jan. 2019. . Available: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/yasumasa-morimura-
black-marilyn.
"Yasumasa Morimura | Silvia Kristel, Emmanuelle 5 (1995) | Available for Sale |
Artsy". Artsy.net, 2019. Online. Internet. 4 Jan. 2019. . Available:
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/yasumasa-morimura-silvia-kristel-emmanuelle-5.
Artsy.net, 2019. Online. Internet. 4 Jan. 2019. . Available:
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/yasumasa-morimura-an-inner-dialogue-with-frida-kahlo-dialogue-
with-myself-2-1.
Barnes, Allegra. "Performing Gender: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Expression
and Identity." (2017).
Iskin, Ruth E., ed. Re-envisioning the Contemporary Art Canon: Perspectives in a Global World.
Taylor & Francis, 2016.
Rice, Robin. "Women Photographers: From Julia Margaret Cameron to Cindy Sherman." (2015):
50-51.