Anonymity in Art and Visual Culture

Looking at visual methods of providing anonymity, this panel seeks to explore the ethical and aesthetic vicissitudes and values of anonymity in art and visual culture. When an image's subject is deemed sensitive, those represented are often allocated anonymity, usually by covering the face or eyes. Visual anonymity can be seen as an easy fix for ethical questions relating to visual personal data – but what is the actual ethical, aesthetic, and interpersonal outcome of anonymizing a subject?

Several key themes related to visual anonymity are of particular interest. The face is treated as the seat of recognizability, but other body parts or traits can give away identity. Photography is the medium that is most frequently deemed to require anonymization, but other artistic and cultural media appraised as less “indexical” may slip under the radar of ethical concern. And artistic and gendered considerations have historically been taken into account while anonymizing, even when the act is ostensibly seen as simply a scientific necessity.

While these focuses on the importance of the face, the indexicality of photography, and the influence of cultural tropes on anonymization are important to this discussion, these are not the only relevant ideas. Presenters can consider visualized anonymity in a broad range of materials: contemporary or modern artwork; medical or otherwise sensitive photographs; true crime films or shows; etc. This panel aims to examine with equal weight both the visual and artistic qualities of anonymity as well as the ethical and cultural weight of providing anonymity.