Maria Abramovic’s body is said to be both her subject and her medium. Through her works in video, instillation, photography, and performance she tests both her mental and physical limits. Ultimately she is showing the endurance and strength present behind the struggles of womanhood and life in general. Her photographs and performances all express a kind of truth; she attempts to capture the real drama and energy behind each of her pieces.
Frida Kahlo also uses herself as the subject of her work. Her own personal struggles in life have greatly influenced her and play a key role in her artwork. The titles of her artwork also emphasize the battles and pain she had undergone throughout her life. Her paintings not only describe an endless list of obstacles and difficult events, they also speak of the growth, hope, and beauty that came from them. Her culture has also played an important role in her career. Her painting style is influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico, and includes a lot of bright colors and symbolism. Although her work is in the form of self-portraits, they are also welcoming and comprehensible to her viewers.
Cui Xiuwen works, again, in self-portraits to describe her own battles and experiences as a woman as well as many other issues related to womanhood. She works in video and photography to describe the relationships of men and women, the struggles of a young girl growing up in Beijing, and the strong roles women sometimes assume in China’s rapidly evolving economy. With a lot of her recent work, she is attempting to expose and reveal to all what it is like to be a woman; issues of anxiety, doubt, vulnerability, and ambition.
