artist. Her name is Mitsuko Nagone, and she is a photographer from Japan. She
does a lot of beautiful work. One project that she did is called "i am more
than my face." She did a series of 22 self-portraits, all with her face
completely covered. She used costumes and props and wigs to make herself seem
like a different person in each photo because you couldn't tell without seeing
seeing her face. She says,
"With this project, I intend to create myself, instead of finding my identity.
People often ask themselves, "Who am I?" However, this may take them away from
the truth. The definition of who they are could limit their own possibilities
and the infinity of their essences. I believe that the self should be created,
instead of being found. The self-portraits explore this instead since the face
is obscured. The human face seems to emphasize "who" a person is and gives some
insight about the individual. This may misinform the audience. I would like to
challenge the viewers' misconceptions and stereotypes."
What do you think about these portraits? Do you think they are more or less
powerful because we cannot see her face? How might you play around with the
idea of hiding someone's identity while taking their portrait?
Here is the link to her entire website to see more of her self-portraits and her
other photography! http://nagone.com/
