During the end of 70's to the 80's and 90's, there were abundant good portrait and self-portrait work. Photo artists such as Cindy Sherman, Gilbert & George, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, and Yasumasa Morimura, just to name a few, were producing remarkable work, either autobiographical or using appropriation. We caught wind in the early 90's.
At that time we published a magazine called DIGI, featuring works created on the digital platform. In one issue we played with the idea of Appropriation. It was an issue of less seriousness and poking fun on the theme. By using fabricated names, Ka-sing and I had each produced two works (other artists including David Lui and Tommy Kam-fai Li). We appropriated Pierre et Gilles, Kaoru Ijima (for the colour) and Hiroshi Nonami (for the wings), Gilbert & George and Yokoo Tadanori. The other noted artists appropriated were Robert Rauschenberg (as Robert Oschenberg by David Lui), Louis Fishauf (as Lewis Fishauf by David Lui), Ron Chan (as Rom Chan by Tommy Kam-fai Li). There was an article written by Blues Wong "IN SEARCH OF DUCHAMP'S POWER PC - The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Simulation". We titled that special issue as Magic Hour issue. It was published in 1994.
(as Pierre et Gals by Holly Lee)
(as Yuki Tokoro by Holly Lee)
(as Tandoori Yokoo by Lee Ka-sing)
(as Garbo & George by Lee Ka-sing)
This portrait posing Barthélémy and Florian in 2014 (directed and photographed by P et G, also in the picture) was an reenactment of the self-portrait of Pierre and Gilles in 1978. Interestingly, it strikes us as it is also Pierre and Gilles' appropriation to their own self-portrait work.
(Right) Autoportrait 78 (Barthélémy Seng, Florian Balicco) by Pierre and Gilles (work produced in 2014)