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Mediatheque
Eleanor Antin 埃莉諾．安廷
The King 國王
1972
This early work by the performance artist Eleanor Antin follows her process of becoming her alter ego, ‘the King’. She sits at a dressing table in a black-draped space to apply makeup and a false beard. After nearly an hour of adding, adjusting, and trimming the disguise, her transformation is complete; Antin leaves the screen briefly before returning dressed in regal clothing to match her newly constructed persona. With just a few fixed camera angles and minimal editing, the silent film has a meditative air, inviting viewers to reflect on how we all ‘construct’ our identities in our daily lives.
Antin began her artistic career as a poet, actress, and painter. From the early 1960s, she turned to the more conceptual and performance-based work that would characterise her practice. After moving to San Diego in 1969, she became increasingly involved in the emerging feminist movement as part of a broader network of artists, writers, and activists who challenged gender, class, and racial hierarchies in the United States. In addition to the broad impact of her artistic practice, Antin’s long teaching career at the University of California at San Diego (from 1975 until 2002) influenced several generations of visual arts students.
Antin began her artistic career as a poet, actress, and painter. From the early 1960s, she turned to the more conceptual and performance-based work that would characterise her practice. After moving to San Diego in 1969, she became increasingly involved in the emerging feminist movement as part of a broader network of artists, writers, and activists who challenged gender, class, and racial hierarchies in the United States. In addition to the broad impact of her artistic practice, Antin’s long teaching career at the University of California at San Diego (from 1975 until 2002) influenced several generations of visual arts students.
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