Face-Off

Acconci listens to his own recorded monologue of sexually intimate secrets and repeatedly tries to obscure these secrets by shouting over the tape, demonstrating the paradoxical situation of the artist confounded by two desires: to reveal oneself for the sake of pleasing the audience, and the conflicting desire to protect one’s own ego. As viewers, we are intrigued and tantalized by the confession we never hear. In this way, Acconci characteristically implicates the viewer in his performance; the viewer awaits and encourages the artist’s sacrifice, reveling in the promise of his self-exposure.

This title was in the original Castelli-Sonnabend video art collection.