The Mythic Being: Sol’s Drawing #2 of 5 1974

Curator: This is Adrian Piper’s 1974 gelatin-silver print, "The Mythic Being: Sol’s Drawing #2 of 5". Editor: It's stark. I'm immediately struck by the flatness of the monochrome and the rawness of the studio setup. The visible process almost shouts louder than the image itself. Curator: Precisely! The seemingly casual composition invites inquiry into the interplay between performance, documentation, and the construction of identity. Notice the reflected scene within the lenses and how they disrupt any singular or unified subject. Editor: Right, but knowing it’s gelatin silver clarifies the labor and material conditions. The handmade nature speaks to a certain autonomy and refusal of mass production that echoes in Piper's conceptual gesture. This piece is clearly less about aesthetic finesse and more about making visible a set of ideas. The choice to self-publish within her body politicizes both herself and her art. Curator: The cigar, mustache, and large glasses can be read through the lens of Brechtian alienation. They disorient and estrange us. The 'Mythic Being' acts as a distancing mechanism, exposing the performance inherent in identity, and race in particular. We, as viewers, are denied easy access. Editor: The cigar’s very suggestive, isn’t it? The act of drag subverts gender roles. We’re led to question assumptions around performativity and authenticity, which becomes essential within Piper's larger exploration of marginalization. Curator: I concur. The drawing hanging in the background hints at a narrative. But its inclusion also establishes a system of symbols, making the work a sign of a sign. Piper is creating a complex layering of meaning. Editor: I wonder how accessible this gesture truly was? While its context surely fueled meaning-making at the time, the labor behind it should now push institutions to ask: who benefits from such conceptual art now, especially knowing how radical Adrian Piper really was? Curator: An essential question indeed. Thinking through its layers offers insight into both self-perception and its projection onto society, no less. Editor: Exactly, that process and engagement with production brings visibility to power structures operating behind it.