‘The Art of Selling Yourself’ is a satirical art performance based on personal experience and inspired by a comment made on my Curriculum Vitae during a job interview. It utilises the visual and historical connotations of 17th and 18th-century “Raree shows” or “Peep boxes”. This is informed by my interest in illusions, theatre, and optical apparatuses, which combine to examine themes around social issues.
The ‘peep-box’ serves as a metaphor to comment on modern recruitment procedures, which are generally intrusive. Therefore, interviewees often sell themselves artificially to prospective companies. The performance is a reflection on my own limitations within the job market. Being confronted with such criticisms about my career choices allowed me to examine the parameters of my own cage.
Performed at Jack House Gallery in August 2023.
