In the 21st century it goes without saying that the selfie is one of the most defining modes of representation. It’s a way to be ‘seen’, offering a version of oneself that is somehow closer to how you would like to be perceived than a photo taken by someone else. The New York artist and photographer famous for capturing the exuberance of youth, Ryan McGinley, places the selfie at the forefront of his new photobook, Mirror Mirror, published today by Rizzoli. The book, which follows on from a recent exhibition of the same name at Team Gallery in New York, contains a selection of over 100 naked self-portraits of family members and friends posing in mirrors and taken with a small hand-held film camera.
Much like the lively, corporeal photography that he’s known for, Mirror Mirror is a study into the vulnerability of the naked body and the self. For this book, McGinley offers a novel alternative to the hierarchy between artist and sitter, subverting this dynamic by providing his subjects with cameras—in this case the trusty Yashica T4, a 35mm point-and-shoot. What’s particularly interesting is that McGinley doesn’t relinquish artistic control entirely, instead giving his subjects detailed instructions and props to work with. Additionally, by using a film camera, his subjects were not able to self-edit, granting the artist full reign over the final selection. The result are images that glimmer with the same emotionality and vitality that characterises the image-maker’s effervescent work. Pointing the camera into mirrors in dimly lit bedrooms, naked and alone, McGinley’s subjects present a powerful and intimate portrayal into the construction of the self. In these tender images, the viewer is made privy to a candid moment between the subject and the mirror, making one keenly aware of how they would like to be seen and perceived too.
“Ryan McGinley: Mirror Mirror” published Rizzoli is out now.
All images courtesy of Rizzoli and the artist.