Valery Jung Estabrook

Daughter (Self-Portrait)
2017, nylon stocking, molded plastic and acrylic paint.

“Maurizio Cattelan’s Mini-Me — as a piece that acts as both sculpture and installation — exists not as a traditional image, but as a work born from the artist, almost like a child. I imagine Mini-me’s consciousness to be ever-changing and independent from Cattelan’s: Mini-me sits looking over the ledge of the shelf, aware of its surroundings and current situation in time and space.

Daughter is part of a series that walks the line between installation and performance — one of ten soft sculpture masks originally inspired by Korean tal (탈) masks, which are based on traditional folklore and societal archetypes. Daughter references my family dynamic and how my role as a daughter has significantly defined my view of self throughout my life. Although Daughter was originally created as a self-portrait piece, I recognize that the driving emotions that led to its creation are no longer in play. Like Mini-Me, its consciousness is independent from mine, growing ever farther away as time moves forward.”

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Maurizio Cattelan

Mini-Me
1999, resin, rubber, hair, fabric, metal, plastic, paint, 15 x 8 x 10 inches.

“What I’m really interested in is the notion of complexity, the idea that there are no fixed roles and definitions. Everyone is forced to change roles every single moment of his life…No one should be able to tell if it’s an artwork or a critical and curatorial statement.” (quote via Phillips.com)

Sal Muñoz

Self-Actualization Process #6
2019, Archival Inkjet Print in plastic frame, 9.5 x 11 x 1.5 inches.

“Self Actualization process #6 is part of a series of intimate self-portraits in plastic gold frames that highlight physical manifestations of femme identity on my male-codified body. The deeply personal images allow me to control the mechanism of observation, reclaiming autonomy and consent over the act of looking. The faux-gold baroque style frames reference a gaudy, over the top aesthetic, a doubling-down of perceptions of queer femininity as ostentatious by evoking the garish. Their plastic materiality leans into further perceptions of queer femininity as artificial and frivolous. These self-portraits are a defiant invitation to be observed by the viewer, challenging the pervasive gender policing queer people of color are regularly subjected to.”

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