Natalie Bookchin: Testament
Exploring the performative side of social media videos.
Overview
When you take a photo of yourself and share it on social media, or a video, you're staging a moment to broadcast to the world. It's a performance, even if you don't quite realise it at the time. The lighting, the angle, making sure you look your best, choosing your words, deciding what to snap or film — it's all part of putting a specific version of yourself out there.
In Testament, American artist Natalie Bookchin explores this concept through four video works. Spanning from 2009 to 2017, her pieces endeavour to expose the repetition and shared elements common as people present their preferred take on themselves via online means.
Using video blogs and testimonials, the entire project touches upon four common subjects: unemployment, medication use, sexual identity and body image. It's screening on a loop at the Gallery of Modern Art as a companion piece to documentary series All the World's Memories until February 24.
Image: Natalie Bookchin.
