Gillian Wearing RA, Me as a Ghost, 2015.
1315 mm x 915 mm. © The Artist. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited.
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Me as a Ghost, 2015
Gillian Wearing RA (b. 1963)
RA Collection: Art
On free display in Collection Gallery
Gillian Wearing has explored her self-image in myriad ways, often experimenting with costumes and disguises. This is from a series entitled ‘Me as…’ that highlights the tension between the self and self-presentation.
In this image of herself as a ghost, Wearing appears to float in a cloud of green and blue smoke. The theme addresses mortality and the extent to which immortality can be achieved through portraiture. The smoke alludes to the industrial heritage of her birthplace, Birmingham, while the slogan on her T-shirt ‘Heavy Metal’ refers to the many heavy metal bands that have come from the city.
This photograph featured in the NPG exhibition Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun: Behind the Mask in 2017.
Object details
1315 mm x 915 mm
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