Constructing the “Instagirl,” deconstructing the self-brand: Amalia Ulman’s Instagram hoax

Maguire, Emma

Abstract

Amalia Ulman is an Argentinian-born Spanish artist who used Instagram as a platform for an art piece titled Excellences & Perfections in which she used images of herself to portray a fictional character whose story unfolded over several months. Her images, replicating popular tropes of digital autobiographical performance were presented and widely read as 'authentic' selfies. This essay examines how Ulman’s performance piece can be understood as an autobiographical mediation that uses networked photo-sharing practices to investigate feminine embodiment and self-representation, and how self-branding in digital media is gendered.

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European Journal of Life Writing

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2211-243X

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University of Groningen Press

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DOI

10.21827/ejlw.8.35546