Takahiko Iimura
I am (Not) Seen
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Add rightsFormat DVD Interzone
Original format video
Year 2003
Artist(s) Takahiko Iimura
Running time 5 min
Films
I AM (NOT) SEEN (2003) 5'
Description
Conceived as the opening piece of the DVD Seeing / Hearing / Speaking, this film questions the notion of "seeing." The words I am seen and I am not seen flash simultaneously over pixelated faces, while the expression I see you appears inserted on a still image. These phrases are superimposed on images of faces and eyes watching within the frame.
The title I am (Not) Seen indicates both the affirmation and its negation, through the use of parentheses. The work suggests that even if I am not seen by you, I still see you. From a racial perspective, the artist evokes the invisibility of Asian-Americans in the United States—"not seen"—in contrast to the visibility of Black people, while nonetheless asserting: "I see you (White person)."