Contemporary Japanese artist Yasumasa Morimura is renowned for photographs in which he reconfigures paintings from Western art history, placing himself in a ‘starring’ role within the compositions. In doing so, he critiques these traditions, the perceived ‘truth’ or authenticity of photographs, and the fluctuating nature of identity and gender.

In Blinded by the light, Morimura adopts various roles, superimposing the images over a background borrowed from Dutch painter Pieter Breughel the Elder’s The parable of the blind 1568. Each of the protagonists in Morimura’s photograph is blinded or masked and restricted by their personal paraphernalia. For example, the ‘baby’ is weighed down by its lacy dress; the ‘artist’ by the tools of his trade; and the ‘shopper’ by her jewellery and carry bags, one labelled ‘MORIMURA’. In this sense, Morimura’s photograph is a self-referential parody of the artist as an identifiable ‘personality’ – and a reflection of the multiple personas that we each assume.