The artwork “Guarded Conditions” by Lorna Simpson, created in 1989, belongs to the art movements of Postcolonial art and Conceptual Art. This piece, categorized within the photo genre, powerfully engages with themes of identity, embodiment, and societal perceptions.
The artwork features a repeated image of a woman in a white gown, her back facing the viewer. The composition is divided into six segments, each showing the same woman with slight shifts in her posture. Above the images, the phrase “GUARDED CONDITIONS” is displayed prominently. Below, words such as “SEX ATTACKS” and “SKIN ATTACKS” alternate in a stark and repetitive manner. The woman’s hands are held behind her back, symbolizing a sense of constraint and vulnerability. The minimalist color palette and the methodical arrangement of the photographs underscore the themes of surveillance and imposed identity.
