Hidden Identity

I have chosen my subtopic of hidden identity. I still need to think of a concept to go with that. The first artist that I have chosen explores the topic of personality disorders. I think that I would like to explore some alternative concepts...

Why Hide Your Identity?

What does it mean to hide identity?

The words cloak and mask are common synonyms of disguise. While all three words mean "to alter the dress or appearance of so as to conceal the identity or true nature," disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity.

Here is another example of hidden Identity taken from an article that I have found:

"Masking and camouflaging are terms used to describe neurodiverse individuals who seek to hide or minimize their autism traits to fit in with the neurotypical world. Individuals with autism, especially ones who have a history of trauma, frequently feel they need to mask their ASD traits in order to fit in. It helps them feel safe from further acts of aggression or misunderstandings. In several situations, masking can actually help an individual with high-functioning autism be successful. For example, masking can help a high-functioning adult with ASD get a job, date, deal with family members, or make new friends. But, in the end, masking and hiding your true self can really take a toll on someone with autism."

I would like to explore how people really feel when hiding their identity. Whether they are hiding their real mood, appearance, opinions or a part of themselves. I will also look at how they are hiding their identity and why this might be.

Another idea that I would like to use in my project was the idea of blending into a crowd. When people blend attempt to blend into a crowd, they often have to hide their own identity or part of themselves. This might be because they are ashamed of who they really are and don't want to be seen as 'different'. People might also want to blend into a crowd to attempt to hide themselves completely. I have seen this in the work of many photographers when they cover the face of their subject. I had the idea of also creating a crowd of faces where not one of them would stand out and all of them would be successfully hidden. Some examples of artists that I have seen that hide the identity of faces they paint/draw/photograph are Aldo Tolonio and Alberto Giacometti.

Blending in: To look or seem the same as surrounding people or things and therefore not be easily noticeable.