Final Project: Gemini

In my project, I’m doing a self-portrait painting about identity. The painting will be two sides of me and words running in my head in a thought bubble with all my positive and negative thoughts, but having my horoscope holding my head down to stay “Obey Me”. Due to the situation that we are in with Covid-19, I’ve been feeling weird about a lot of things recently due to this situation. I’ve been in my head a lot and thinking about my life and who I am. I’ve been living my life through my horoscope. I don’t know who I am without it. It’s hard trying to just be myself without jumping back to see my life predetermined by my horoscope. I don’t feel that way all of time, but sometimes I feel that way. Like for example, when I wake up in the morning, I must check my daily horoscope to see what’s going to happen on that day and I check it at night before I go to bed. I know mentally that’s not healthy, but it tells me what’s going to happen to me on that day and how I should feel. Like in the book “Being There” by Jerzy Kosinski I feel “he stayed only long enough to tell me what to do and show me how to do it” (page18). My birthday is May 23rd, and I’m an air sign. My horoscope is Gemini (May 21 - June 20). Gemini is an intellectual air sign and it’s ruling planet is Mercury. In astrology, Geminis are mutable signs, that means associated with adaptability, flexibility and sympathy. These signs mediate change and change their modes of expression frequently in order to meet this end, and they are often described as being diplomatic and assisting others through transitions. In the zodiac the Gemini is known to be the trickster, known as “the twins,” they can have almost two different sides to their personalities. It isn't the symbol of the twins that we should meditate too heavily on; rather, it's the space between the twins that's notable. The meaning is constantly juggling a variety of passions, hobbies, careers, and friend groups. They are the social butterflies of the zodiac: These quick-witted twins can talk to anyone about anything. Find them buzzing between happy hours, dinner parties, and dance floors. So, that is my personality in a nutshell, so again, is my identity predetermined? Can I be me without my horoscope or is this me? I think this is me, “A man’s name had an important connection with his life” (page 16 Being There) you can’t have one without the other is like a person without a shadow we’re attached. Other Geminis are celebrities like Morgan Freeman, Tupac, Allen Iverson, and Naomi Campbell. With that in mind, the artist that inspired me to talk about my identity is Frida Kahlo with her many portraits and self-portraits. Frida Kahlo (6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, and self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. She was considered one of Mexico's greatest artists who began painting mostly self-portraits after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Kahlo later became politically active and married fellow communist artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She exhibited her paintings in Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954.