Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - Untitled (Human Instamatic)

Preview image of work. rubber stamp, Untitled (Human Instamatic) 26348

2013.21.315

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Untitled (Human Instamatic)

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Artist

Martin Wong (Portland, Oregon, 7/11/1946 - 8/12/1999, San Francisco, California)

Title

Untitled (Human Instamatic)

Creation Date

n.d.

Century

20th century

Dimensions

3 x 1 5/8 x 2 7/8 in. (7.62 x 4.13 x 7.3 cm)

Classification

Sculpture

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

rubber stamp

Credit Line

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2013.21.315

A painter with a broad range of interests—from Chinese calligraphy to street art—Martin Wong met the Vogels through their mutual friend Michael Lucero (whose sculptures are also on view in this gallery). This stamp, a sculptural form designed to adorn two dimensional surfaces, attests to the hybrid nature of Wong’s work as well as his interest in language and (queer) identity. Intrigued by the visual attributes of American Sign Language, Wong created a series of paintings and street signs incorporating stylized “fat hands” and used them to communicate titles, poetry, and other messages. This stamp—representing the letter “V,” appropriate for the Vogels—carries a label with an embossed gold emblem featuring Wong’s name, his “tag”: IMU UR2; and his nickname: “human instamatic,” earned due to his talent for figurative representation, particularly portraiture.