Adrian Piper

Adrian Piper is a Conceptual artist that is best known for her politically loaded approach in her art. Her experience is unbelievably extensive, she studied Philosophy, and Fine Art at universities like School of Visual Arts in New York, Harvard, University of Heidelberg in Germany, California Institute of the Arts, and Massachusetts College of Art.

Piper focuses on issues of personal identity from the stand point of an African American. She investigates issues of racism, and sexism, and also class and stereotypes. Her approach is to directly confront the viewer or people unaware with her provoking and in-your face method. Her intentions is to make you aware of your stereotypical thoughts.

I am very much interested in manipulated images that convey a psychological meaning. In particular, Piper black and white photographs that are manipulated with oil crayon and accompanied by text. The photograph 'The Mythic Being: I Embody Everything You Must Hate and Fear' (1975) Focuses on attitudes of about race and gender stereotypes from the stand point of societies xenophobia. For this work, Piper dressed up as an androgynous racially determined black afro man. They are inspired by a private performance, and finally drawing onto the surface of the photograph. I believe this add a sense of emotional content. In my opinion, the manipulation is a way to expressed a frustrating feeling. It creates a mask for the subject, beyond knowing that the subject is purposely portrayed as androgynous, but it makes us think at what we are looking at. The addition of the text, explicitly complements the image and sends a message to the viewer to whom the artist is trying to awaken. Piper is particularly motivated by her deep knowledge in Moral Ethics, and society's psychological stereotypes. Her goal is to make people be aware of the internal stereotypes that in most cases are not talked about.