Untitled Landscape, 1996

Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: Frame (Black painted wood): 18 x 22 x 2 in. (45.72 x 55.88 x 5.08 cm) Image: 14 3/4 x 18 3/4 in. (37.5 x 47.6 cm)
Accession Number: 2001.49
Credit: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Gift of Gary and Tracy Mezzatesta

The myth of Narcissus, a beautiful demigod so besotted by his own reflection in a pool of water that he remained fixed in place until his death, is usually understood as a caution against vanity and pride; here Laura Aguilar imagines different possibilities. Mirrored in the water like Narcissus, she instead evokes a self-absorption of profound peace and belonging, a body tenderly held by nature, and distance from a world that discourages self-love for so many.

Collection