At a time when the practice of the selfie is spreading like wildfire, the presentation of self-portraits created by two young artists (Francesca Woodman, Zhang Huan) will attempt to shed light on the way that these creations can contribute – by capturing the disquiet, the tension that is proper to the pubertary – to the subject’s ability to appropriate metamorphosis for use in subjectalisation. Engaging in such a creative process is never without risk, particularly the risk of breakdown or self-destruction.
Adolescent selfies intrigue the psychoanalyst, and their widespread proliferation on social media lead us to revisit the mirror stage. Are these self-images a reflecting mirror or an empty mirror? Even when they are enormously narcissistic, selfies come from a quest for identity, even a quest for beauty, and may be kindred with self-portrait. Beyond the ludic and narcissistic aspects, they are linked with fundamental questions of identity, sexuality and death.
Adolescence, 2016, 34, 3, 623-632.
Revue semestrielle de psychanalyse, psychopathologie et sciences humaines, indexée AERES au listing PsycINFO publiée avec le concours du Centre National du Livre et de l’Université de Paris Diderot Paris 7