douglas Kornfeld
“Who Are You?” - 2010
Materials: Acrylic Paint (Men’s Room), Vinyl (Women’s Room)
Location: Boston center for the Arts, Boston MA
This installation explores the limitations of standardized gender icons commonly found on restroom entrances. While these icons more and more serve a functional role as clear and recognizable signage, their widespread use has made them less and less useful as representations of how individuals understand and express gender. They narrow and constrain our perception rather than improve our understanding of human diversity and identity.
In the men’s restroom, three of the urinals are framed by stylized iconic figures painted directly onto the wall. In the women’s restroom, similar female figures—created in vinyl—are applied to the doors of individual stalls.
The installation intentionally leaves select stalls and urinals unmarked—absent of any identifying figure. This allows users to choose not to be symbolically categorized. Opting for an unmarked space becomes a conscious, personal gesture—a refusal to be defined by a prescribed icon.
