Research

 Body and identity task  

For my second piece of research for the theme of body and identity I have decided to look at the 2018 piece, Micheal in black by Nicole Miller. 

Micheal in black is a life size bronze cast of Micheal Jackson that I believe explores identity through the physical sense and also through racial identity. Miller created this spectral almost mannequin like sculpture by casting into moulds she found and brought at an estate sale; these moulds were direct plaster moulds of the singers body. This piece has a huge religious feel to it but in a very disturbing dark way, the way the sculpture is kneeling almost in prayer however the hands and feet cut off feels like a punishment against this human like figure. The placement of this piece on the plinth also feels disturbingly human, placing him off centre, almost on the edge makes it seems as if the sculptures placed itself there. The choice of using the singer Micheal Jackson is hugely significant, a once music idol highly influential in his time but now disgraced by sexual abuse claims, a man who also struggled with both his identity and race very publicly. When creating this piece miller also created another, exactly the same except in white, this is highly prominent when looking at how this piece explores identity as it shows the issues Micheal Jackson had with his own racial identity and skin issues. Personally I don’t like this piece, i find it very disturbing but because of that it does intrigue me, and I like the use of the music artist as subject matter.