The Public Self

Who are we to the world? In the public sphere we wear one of many veils to conceal and highlight our best and worst aspects. The public self is neither how we wish to be seen nor entirely controlled by our intent, but constructed by the multiplicity of views cast upon us. The public self is how we are seen, or perhaps not seen, by those we would consider the objects of our gaze. By this principle, the public self is one where we are objectified and often made two-dimensional, as in many of the works in this section. Even when dimension is suggested, either by shading and contouring, or by three-dimensional rendering as in the Wedgwood portraits, we know that this self cannot possibly convey all that the individual is. It is only one of many selves.

The Public Self