EGO IN THE SHELL — Singular Yet Divisible: Angel's Shell

This self-portrait presents a "singular self" in contrast to the anonymity of the crowd. Yet, even this "one" can be easily divided and distributed through the gaze of others or by algorithms. The artist inscribes this paradox of being "singular, yet shared" onto her own image.

Here, the artist re-enacts the role of Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. This is not a mere costume imitation but an attempt to take on the identity of a cybernetic being through her own body. Kusano is simultaneously "herself" and a "vessel for a narrative" that traverses reality and fiction.

The "one" here refers not to a numerical unit but to "oneness"—a state where a single entity contains multiple properties, and where the many cohere into a whole. This self-portrait thus visualizes the coexistence of "one and many" in a contemporary context, revealing the fundamental structure of the self, in which the "one" is only constituted through its relationship with the "many."