Elisavet Kalpaxi

Narcissism and Narrativity in photographic self-portraiture

My research is about the use of self-portraiture in photographic narratives in relation to the myth of Narcissus and Narcissism.

I intend to provide both, a metaphorical approach on the subject (the myth Narcissus as a metaphor self-portraiture in photographic narratives and my own studio work) and a literal one (based on the term narcissism as it has been used in psychoanalysis, narratology, art theory and criticism).

Through the practical part of my research I intend to explore how the viewers attention and intellectual participation could be enforced, the significance of the artists participation in the picture, and the transition of textual narratives in other forms of representation.

The practical part of the research (studio work) is based on Linda Hutcheons’ term “Narcissistic Narrative”about textual narratives in literature that force the reader to project his/her own imaginative processes and preoccupations onto the text. I would like to explore how the term “narcissistic narrative” could be applied in visual narratives where the viewer will be expected to experience the picture aesthetically and intellectually. Through this attempt I intend to explore how the viewers attention and intellectual participation could be enforced, the significance of the artists participation in the picture, and the transition of textual narratives in other forms of representation. Also I would like to place the specific artistic practice in the framework of contemporary art.