Magnification series 1996-7

Framed by the photographic eye, these paintings are nonetheless a distortion and exaggeration of my body: each one a document of self-perception and construction of meaning. By grounding the female nude in the specificity of my body and vantage point, I am forcing the viewer into the position of interloper of my consciousness. He/she sees me as I see myself--but which self is it? How do the viewer's perceptions and preconceptions vie with my own while staring at the body confronting him? We stare at ourselves, and project what we desire onto the image, while the image hurls back all our defects and imperfections. Subtle suggestions from everyday life merge into our subconscious. The body in these paintings is a mixture of reality and distance, confusion and precision, much as our self-perception tends to be.

Press

"Asya Geisberg: Out on a Limb" by Donald Kuspit, 1998