Identity Studies In Contemporary Photographic Practice

The study of identity issues has become one of the hot topics of the art industry since the end of World War II.However,this does not mean that before the people explore the concept of identity,from people use the method of "essence" to interpret the identity of the most basic meaning to after world war ii people choose how to define the identity and the cognition has a subtle change,this is the development of identity.In the discussion of identity in the modern western discourse,the British scholar George Laren has combed through a clear train of thought.George first introduced a idea that has long been affirmed in the West that identity is determined by the essence of the subject,that people are born and given by God.The core of this view is the essence of identity,which is more real and creates a person’s unique internal attribute.Of course,this internal characteristic will also change with the cognitive change of the subject.The theory of essence originated in the Renaissance period and was formed in the background of humanism.The essentialist view of identity emphasizes that identity is innate and endowed.Laren then introduced another point of view: after the "identity essence" and some scholars put forward the theory of "social identity",namely that identity is actually by the power of the interdependence and formed a network,these forces for a community of members of the social role,for its status of reward and punishment mechanism,is to guide and restrict its behavior,and give members of the corresponding power relations.Different identities need to be formed through social interaction and on the premise of common historical background.This view inherits the view of "rational unity" of Hegel(Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel),but abandons Hegel’s "absolute spiritual path".That is to say,these scholars agree with the idea that individuals divide the self and society,and society plays a decisive role in individual existence and consciousness.That is,the constructivist view of identity emphasizes that identity is constructed through social relations,and Marx(Karl Heinrich Marx)is one of the earliest theorists to criticize the essence of identity.To the identity of the postmodern period,the father of British culture research Stuart hall(Stuart Hall)published in 1989,the cultural identity and ethnic scattered,said with the development of military,economic,political prompted people across the boundaries,national,ethnic,regional flow,migration,migration phenomenon since the 20 th century,the identity problem have to focus in the field of cultural research contradictions,debate.Therefore,the issue of identity in the postmodern context is no longer limited to the display of self,the yearning for freedom and independence,and so on.But more attention to how the individual is defined in social relations,trying to through cultural research to social criticism,political criticism and ideological criticism,and through the process of criticism from certain western capitalist society established theory,stereotypes and prejudice subversion and deconstruct more possibilities,today in the context of contemporary people are still committed to this.This paper tries to constantly seek the cognition of self-identity based on the dual attributes of identity.In the context of contemporary art since the postmodern era,Contemporary photography practice has greatly helped artists to realize the process of identity,And in the process of multiple identity issues,it helps people explore and explore part of the connotation based on the basic attributes of identity,For example,Serin Nai Arabia,Morimura Taichang,Jillian Wei Ying,Cindy Schayman and others emphasize the integration of postmodern identity through the diversity,mobility and complexity of identity,While in the process of fusion,Individuals have developed ambiguous identity issues,Making individuals unable to determine exactly what exactly their dominant identity is,And even over time,Combined with the uncertainty about the identity,Make the individual have a sense of fear,The identity crisis.Identity crisis destroyed the stability of the original identity,identity and belonging to the uncertainty,since the postmodern,identity issues has been a hot topic,so looking for identity self became the priority of the identity crisis,then only to find and establish a new identity,face to face,can establish from the real sense in the context of the contemporary identity,realize the definition of self.