Self-representations of women artists : the "I" of the other

This thesis examines the photographs and videos of Yayoi Kusama, Hanh Thi\ud Pham, and Laurel Nakadate that appropriate the iconic and stereotypical images of\ud women. Although there are some similarities to their approach of the subject of female\ud sexuality, each addresses distinct issues regarding subjectivity, such as media\ud consumption of the female body, male obsession, self-identity, gender, and power\ud dynamics. While their work has been studied through feminist critique, their images\ud require further analysis. My analysis, derived from Judith Butler???s theory of subjectivity,\ud seeks to examine how the constructed images of these artists reveal what it means to be a\ud female subject. The three artists I study not only challenge the stereotype of women in\ud representation, they also challenge the possibility of representing oneself. I argue that\ud Kusama, Pham, and Nakadate question the limits of self-representation by creating\ud images that not only evoke power but also its underlying ambivalence