Venus (Self Portrait)
Artist
Carla Williams
(American, b.1965)
Date1994
MediumPlatinum print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 13 1/4 × 10 3/8 in. (33.7 × 26.4 cm)
Overall: 14 1/8 × 11 in. (35.9 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 1/2 × 19 5/16 in. (62.2 × 49.1 cm)
Overall: 14 1/8 × 11 in. (35.9 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 1/2 × 19 5/16 in. (62.2 × 49.1 cm)
ClassificationsPhotography
Credit LineGift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel
Object number2007.12.118
Terms
- Woman
- Nude
- African-American Artist
- Self-portrait
- Black and White
On View
Not on viewLabel TextCarla Williams American (b. 1965) Venus (Self-Portrait), 1994 Platinum print Gift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel 2007.12.118 Carla Williams uses self-portraiture to explore notions of identity, beauty, and desirability. Much like her teacher, Anne Noggle (on view nearby), Williams claims ownership of her body, opting to photograph herself nude and in striking poses of power rather than submission. In Venus (Self-Portrait), Williams uses her body to confront racial stereotypes. Her pose recalls historical images of Saartjie Baartman (1789-1815), a Khoikhoi woman from South Africa who was brought to Europe and was exhibited in the nude at carnivals. Audiences ridiculed "Sarah" and her heavy, ungainly form, and sarcastically called her "The Hottentot Venus"-an Afrikaans slur against her aboriginal race. In her self-portrait, Williams proudly reclaims Baartman's legacy and presents her own body as the equal of the mythic Venus.
Unknown
Late Dynasty 5-early Dynasty 6, reigns of Unas or Pepy I, 2375-2287 B.C.E.
