The Mythic Being

performance piece by Piper

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July 21, 2026

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The Mythic Being (1972–81) was a performance piece by artist Adrian Piper. In this work, Piper filmed herself walking through New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts, embodying an alter ego. This persona was that of a light-skinned African American man with a mustache and an afro, often wearing sunglasses. Piper would recite memorized phrases from her personal journals and engage passers-by, challenging them to categorize her based on race, gender, and class. The piece also incorporated photographs of her as this alter ego, with thought bubbles added, such as "I embody everything you most hate and fear". Piper's work often explores themes of race, gender, class, and identity.1

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Adrian Piper
…performed confrontational pieces such as The Mythic Being (1972–81), for which she was filmed walking the streets of New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a light-skinned African American man with a mustache and an afro and wearing sunglasses. She repeated memorized phrases from her personal journals and challenged passers-by…
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…performed confrontational pieces such as The Mythic Being (1972–81), for which she was filmed walking the streets of New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a light-skinned African American man with a mustache and an afro and wearing sunglasses. She repeated memorized phrases from her personal journals and challenged passers-by…
Read More