"On-Off Art (you can also be an artist)" is a conceptual self-portrait configured through the visual lexicon of sequential art and comic strips. Created in 1998 during my formative years in France, the artwork functions as an institutional critique and a sharp satire on the commodification of the artistic identity.
Spanning three chronological panels, the narrative parodies the bureaucratic and almost magical transformation demanded by art institutions and the art market. By portraying myself applying a fictional mass-market cosmetic product called "On-Off Art," the work demystifies the romantic aura of the creator. The physical peeling of the skin and the final dramatic grimace capture the psychological alienation of self-construction—the split identity between the individual and the "artist persona."
By utilizing oil on canvas, the piece subverts expectations; it deliberately channels the smooth fluidity and meticulous layering of oil painting into the urgent, graphic immediacy of low-culture zines and underground comics. Although painted in the late 90s, the concept of "switching on and off" one's identity has gained an even more biting relevance today, accurately anticipating the prefabricated personas, superficial branding, and algorithmic visibility that define the contemporary digital art world.
