Gregg Bordowitz Analyzes Glenn Ligon's 'Untitled (I Am a Man)'

Gregg Bordowitz has authored a study of Glenn Ligon's 1988 painting 'Untitled (I Am a Man)' for the One Work book series published by Afterall. The painting references signs carried by striking African-American sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Bordowitz examines the work's relevance to representations of self, race, and gender, drawing on cultural studies, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. He connects the painting to other Ligon works such as the Profile Series (1990-91), Narratives, and Runaways (both 1993). The text cites historical figures including Sojourner Truth (1851 speech 'Ain't I A Woman?') and Bo Diddley (1955 song 'I'm a Man'). Bordowitz engages theoretical writings by André Green, Stuart Hall, and Charles Sanders Peirce, arguing for 'Thirdness' as a meaning-making function not limited by identity. The publication is available via MIT Press and Google Books.