Vanilla Nightmare #2, 1986

Charcoal and red crayon, with erasing, on tan wove paper (newsprint)600 x 703 mm

"Author Ananda Leeke’s Blog." Author Ananda Leeke’s Blog. Ananda Leeke. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

The Mythic Being:It Dosen't Matter #1,#2, #3, 1975

“Much like the issue of racism, Piper’s work is in your face and controversial. Some may even consider it down right offensive and rude. I think it’s necessary. Nobody likes the mirror to be turned on them. Surprise America! Under the cosmetics of freedom, the weave of power, and the color contacts of wealth, you’re one unattractive bitch.”

In Adrian Piper’s piece, “The Mythic Being,” she takes three individual black and white photographs and draws over them in an oil crayon. Then she places them side by side and has a continuing phrase lingering from one photo to the next. The phrase says, “It doesn't matter who you are if what you want to do to me is what I want you to do for me.” Also, in the three photos it shows a man holding a cigarette in his hand with his arms crossed. He also seems to be hiding behind a pair of dark shades and in deep thought as well in all three photos.

I believe that piper’s motive behind this work is to show the viewer that karma is the essential aspect of American society. I think she was trying to further express the saying, “What goes around comes around,” in a visual sense. Also, I believe that the pose of the subject matter suggests an overall feeling of lost identity that is supposed to be interpreted by the viewer.

This piece by Adrian Piper reminds me of Pipilotti Rist’s, “Still smoking,” from 1998. Rist’s concepts in art often dealt with woman dealing with issues of sex, the body and relationships. She as well based a lot of her artworks around the concept and ideology of sense of self and self identification. In ‘Still smoking,” it shows a woman with her face pressed against the glass as if she is trying to question and escape from the role that she is supposed to be playing in society.

"Art HERstory: Adrian Margaret Smith Piper M.I.S.S." M.I.S.S. - A curated collection of fashion, art, beauty, music, design, travel, advice, film, vintage, shopping. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

Self-Portrait, 1981

In Piper’s 1981 pencil drawing on paper, "Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Negroid Features," she really emphasizes her broad nose, full lips, and luxuriant Afro hairdo. Doing this helps her really exaggerate her African American features. Also, this portrait was originally placed right beside another of her works called “Self Portrait as a Nice White Lady.” In this attempt, Piper was really able to play up of the true features of her own heritage. The reason for her to make this portrait is because when she was younger she had a lot of trouble with identifying herself due to her bi-racial parents and her light skin. She decided to really indentify herself with African American people and that is what is being portrayed in this image.

I believe that Piper executed this portrait in a way that is very captivating and unambiguous. The portrait itself is fairly simple, just a black and white pencil drawing of herself staring straight forward. I believe that she intended her direct gaze in this drawing to emblematic of how her art confronts you. For example, this quote explains her approach to artwork and confrontation, “Her work is about consciousness-raising. Her primary subjects are race, racism and their links to class and gender. Her forms are spare, unsensual, but for the most part attention-holding. Her method is interrogatory: she asks unsettling questions to evoke revealing responses. Sugar-coating isn't her style.”

This piece of artwork by Adrian Piper reminds me of a piece by J.D. Hillberry called “The Man Behind the Artwork.” It is similar in both structure and subject matter. It is a self portrait that is also done in black and white pencil. J.D. is the main subject matter and he seems to be tearing through the piece of paper to stare the consumer right in the face. There is many emotions that are on the subjects face and it seems that he is facing the same kind of identification issues as Piper.

"Adrian Piper: A Canvas of Concerns -- Race, Racism and Class." Arizona State University. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

Untitled Performance for Max's Kansas City, 1970

“From birth, Piper internally struggled with her identity. Claiming East Indian and African Quadroon, she took her issues with identity and racism and turned them into visual statements via photography, performance art, and video.” In Adrian Piper’s performance art presentation, she really addressed issues that were present in her society. I believe that this performance was to show the audience and witnesses what it is like to be senseless and how the human senses play a big part in an individual’s sense of self.

The main subject matter for this piece was Adrian’s body itself. Thus being said, her human body was the material that was used in the presentation. Piper took away all of her senses by blindfolding herself which took away her sense of sight. She wore long gloves which were meant to take away her sense of touch and feel. Also, she plugged her nose in order to take away her sense of smell. Once most of her senses were taken away, she walked around the town relying completely on her sense of self.

This presentation by Adrian piper reminds me of some of her other presentations, for example, her “Catalysis Series.” In this series of performance art, Piper staged a number of public performances on the subway and city streets that forced a confrontation between viewers and the artist’s body in various abject states. Doing these types of performances really forces the spectator to think about issues that are present in society.

"Letters to a Young Artist: Adrian Piper." Saatchi Online TV & Magazine. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. .

It Dosen't Matter # 1, 1975