What Is Sexual Identity?

C21 Practice has provided a forum in which artists have explored aspects of sexual identity and self-representation. Provide a critical analysis of the work of two contemporary artists/photographers and relate their work to your practise.

In the 15th century, the renowned German physician Paracelsus was quoted as saying `Be not another, if you can be yourself’ (Paracelsus, n.d.), and this quote still echoes true today. In a world that is shifting constantly, being able to identify and develop who you are has become incredibly difficult, especially with the strong external influences that surround us within advertising, celebrity, and social media.
My essay will discuss sexual identity, and how it is represented within the art world. From
Rim of an Attic red-figure kylix, c. 510 BC (wikipedia, n.d.)
The main difference between then and now is that this behaviour was deemed a normal part of life, and was not labelled as homosexuality. The term ‘homosexuality’ is a modern word as discussed by Dr Christopher Reed in an article in the Boston Globe Brainiac blog in which he discussed Art and Homosexuality. Within the article he states that ‘Homosexuality is a modern term that doesn’t apply to sexuality in past eras…..it means you belong firmly to one sex and are attracted to people of that same sex. But societies throughout history have had much more fluid ideas about sex and gender.’ (Rothman, 2011)
We have witnessed a dramatic rise around the discussion of sexual identity, watching it grow into a subject of strong debate over the last half century. With the introduction of LGBT groups whose sole purpose are to fight for the rights of LGBT people in a very visible way, who we are, and our own understanding of other peoples sexuality has become something that has become a political hot potato, and promises to continue to inspire discussion and debate for a long time to
Although not originally in my selection of artist choices, I have included her because she has created several bodies of work that court controversy in a very personal and emotive way. Within one of her projects, Twelve, she tackled that awkward stage of change where young women begin to move away from childhood and into adulthood. Her images are striking and unapologetic in a blatant, almost exploitative way, and yet still exude a dark elegance that draws you in and leaves you asking more questions than anything else. In a recent interview with The Guardian, she was quoted as saying ‘Exploitation lies at the root of every great portrait, and all of us know it.’ (Dean,