Jianan Li
2023
130×50×50 cm
oil on canvas，wood and mirrors
In my series “The Theater of Othering Selfhood: A Mirrored Practice,” I have integrated a reflective mirror surface into traditional painting media, transforming it into an ‘installation’ dimension. This creates a symmetrical ‘multiplication’ between the painted image and the (anticipated) viewer. Guided by the mirror’s symbolism, the audience traverses from initial self-identification to a pursuit of selfhood. This aligns with Lacan’s theory: individual self-awareness often forms on fictitious mirrors, with reality and truth frequently becoming blurred or displaced. The interplay between the interior and exterior of the mirror is fragmented in the traces on the mirror, illustrating the development from a primitive state to an adult life’s fictional ‘self’. By reinterpreting and extending the mirror surface, I question the prevalent misconceptions about self-recognition and objective existence in contemporary society. The audience, actively involved in this process, find their own perspectives to complete the artwork, becoming directors in this floating space between reality and replication.
