SELF MARKET: POSTMODERN CONSUMER IDENTITY

• Main Author: Kanya Paramita, Inggita
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/75795
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The rapid development of technology and information, as well as the emergence of resistance against grand narratives and ideologies through the empowerment of small narratives, are characteristics of postmodern life. The postmodern spirit in identity formation is the search for authentic identity, which does not refer to authoritative systems, grand ideologies, or specific grand narratives, that consequently becomes the foundation for how identity is exploited and turned into a product offered by capitalism. The "search for identity" is continuously supported by capitalism, which constantly introduces and rotates new meanings, images, and signs to be consumed in unlimited quantities and in an incessant process. An "illusion of freedom" is created in choosing identity through various products and commodities, even though this succession of identities operates under the tempo predetermined by the market. Under such conditions, a person can become anything; they can become different individuals just by consuming products. This Final Project is an artwork that serves as a representation of the condition described. This intention is achieved through printmaking, specifically using screen printing and sublimation printing. Printmaking is believed to be an artistic practice with its own uniqueness and limitations that can effectively reinforce the underlying meaning of this work. With the title Pasar Diri (Self Market), this work is an effort to present a collision of meaning, images, and signs within the mechanism of the market, which creates an illusion of freedom in choosing identities for individuals in the postmodern era.