Origins, influences and, finally, the decisions we make are the three main elements that contribute to defining our identity as individuals and also as collectives. They are great themes for great reflections. And also for artists to explore the cracks between identities constructed by individuals and collectives and official narratives. Many examples come to mind related to the construction of individual identity (Gillian Wearing starring in photographic portraits characterized as the different members of her family); racial (Adrian Piper delving into the ambiguity allowed by his own specificity of mixing two races); sexual (Valie Export breaking taboos related to women or Giusseppe Campuzano with his project “The Transvestite Museum of Peru”). We also think of political identity (with all the works focused on post-colonialism, or, more radically, Núria Güell’s will to be legally declared stateless).
Sometimes, by taking distance, a more precise analysis can be carried out. But what one does not expect is that an exhibition about Star Wars would pose an in-depth reflection on this subject: who we are and how we become who we are. This is what Star Wars. Identities does. An exhibition organized by George Lucas’ studios conceived as a cultural consumer product, currently touring various European countries, which works with impeccable effectiveness at various levels and is organized around ten sections (taking the inputs that make us who we are: species, genes, parents, culture, mentors, friends, events, occupations, personality and values) that repeat modules composed of preparatory sketches from the Star Wars saga to define the characters, models and costumes of the characters, an interactive part in which visitors can configure the identity of a character they have previously chosen and, most interesting, some brief introductory videos made at the Montreal Science Centre by specialists in genetics, neuropsychology, psychology and sociology that aim to answer some fundamental questions: How is identity defined? Is it biological? Is it cultural? Or is it people and events that influence us throughout our lives? Are our choices what determine who we are?
As I said, let’s start with Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker to reflect on ourselves. Where we come from, how we were raised, our influences and, ultimately, our choices are what make us who we are, both individually and collectively.
[Article published in Bonart, 2015]
