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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
Self-portrait as mask. The case study of Gillian

Wearing

Arianna Fantuzzi*
Department of Humanities, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

Abstract

This article examines Gillian Wearing’s Family Album photographic series (2003
– 2006), relating her self-portraits to the postmodern identity theories of Fredric
Jameson (1984) and Kenneth Gergen (1991) for the 1 time, as well as linking them to
st
Hans Belting’s interpretation of the symbolism of the mask (2013). In the photographs,
Wearing assumes the features of her family members through hyper-realistic masks
and wigs, recreating and “wearing” the faces from the family albums. Through this
process, the artist temporarily assumes the identity of another person while creating
a new subject that combines and adds further characteristics to the personalities
from which it is composed. The photographs from the series are compared with other
works by the artist, particularly her self-portraits painted during the 2020 lockdown
and those created in 2023, in which she portrays herself without a mask, marking a
significant shift in her artistic practice.

*Corresponding author: Keywords: Self-portrait; Mask; Postmodern identity; Postmodern theory; Contemporary
Arianna Fantuzzi art
(arianna1fantuzzi@gmail.com)
Citation: Fantuzzi A. Self-portrait
as mask. The case study of Gillian
Wearing. Arts & Communication. 1. Introduction
2025;3(2):3385.
doi: 10.36922/ac.3385 A mask covers the artist’s face, making it impossible to guess her physiognomy. Although,
Received: April 8, 2024 at first glance, a photograph does not show any unusual features, the unnaturally shiny
surface of the face soon reveals its artificial character. Multiplied into numerous versions,
Revised: June 4, 2024
the image of the artist takes the form of one body and then another, shifted by masks
Accepted: June 25, 2024 that change its connotations: this is how many of Gillian Wearing’s photographic self-
Published online: October 24, portraits are presented, with a focus on the exploration of personal identity. This article
2024 seeks to relate Wearing’s self-portraits, for the 1 time, to the postmodern theories of
st
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). identity developed by Fredric Jameson and Kenneth Gergen, as well as to Hans Belting’s
This is an Open-Access article interpretation of the meaning of the mask in art. 1-3
distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons The relationship between the self-portrait and the mask in Wearing’s videos,
AttributionNoncommercial License, photographs, and installations has been the subject of texts, interviews, and exhibitions
permitting all non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any over the years, which have emphasized the connections with the work of contemporary
medium, provided the original work and modern artists, such as Diane Arbus, Claude Cahun, James Ensor, and Cindy
is properly cited. Sherman. From 2021 to 2022, the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York devoted
4-8
Publisher’s Note: AccScience a major retrospective to the theme. The exhibition, entitled Gillian Wearing: Wearing
Publishing remains neutral with Masks, featured most of Wearing’s self-portraits, including a new series of paintings and
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional sculptures titled Lockdown (2020). The exhibition, curated by Jennifer Blessing and Nat
affiliations.*Corresponding author: Trotman, explored the performative nature of identity in a media society, with critical

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ac.3385