To celebrate International Woman’s Day 2020, it was an honor to be apart of a well received exhibition supported by Saatchi & Saatchi,
that was featuring the work of commercial women photographers of NZ.
Identity by ©Photographer Sharlene Ferguson
IDENTITY
Examining what it is to be the “self” and questioning who are we really under all the messaging, the external opinions, and the expectations we’re all feed from a young age? And encouraging, a journey of self-discovery.
FULL ARTIST STATEMENT:
“A stable society and culture leads to a stronger sense of identity”.
“Accordingly, a deficiency in either may increase the chance of identity crisis or confusion” (Cote & Levine 2002)
Identity questioning arises: “who am I”?
Governments, media and even brands have taken on the role of communicating and crafting a sense of what it is to be the “self” and from a young age humans are subjected to messages describing identity within culture, gender, ethnicity, ancestry, occupations, social movements, biological characteristics etc. & these stories attach accordingly.
Watching, listening, and mimicking: all to form an identity. Self-discovery through experience and feeling what is innately right for oneself and then projecting this image out to the world.
“I am this” or “I am that”. “If I look a certain way, if I am a certain way, if I be a certain way – that is who I am”.
“I’ve been conditioned to think I’m …”
“But is that who I really am? Or just what I’ve been told to become?”
Who are we really under all the messaging, the external opinions, and the expectations?
Perhaps, more stability within one’s society and more connection with one’s culture can lead to a real exploration of self.
©Photographer-Sharlene Ferguson
