Post-War & Contemporary Art

Provenance:

Mayflower Trust, Los Angeles

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2015

Lot Note:

Across her practice, Bunny Rogers has developed a distinct visual language through which adolescence, grief, and myth are examined through digital culture. The Self Portrait as Clone of Jeanne d’Arc series occupies a central place within this practice, bringing together historical reference and computer-generated aesthetics to construct a fragmented self. This pair of self-portraits distill these concerns, underscoring Rogers’ sustained interest in the instability of identity and its circulation through image-based culture.

Drawing upon Joan of Arc as reimagined in the early-2000s animated series Clone High, which presents historical figures as contemporary teenage clones in a high school setting, Rogers reframes the character as a reproducible avatar. In the first composition, Bella Joan, the figure is shown from behind, her elongated braid and jeweled recalling traditional depictions of sanctity and martyrdom associated with Joan of Arc. This coherence is unsettled by disembodied mint-green hands that hover against a dark ground, reaching toward but never fully connecting with the central form. The result is spectral and disquieting: a body that appears intact yet inaccessible, surrounded by gestures that suggest fragmentation, absence, or failed connection. The high-gloss, digitally rendered surface further distances the figure from physical reality, situating it within a constructed virtual space.

In contrast, Jodi Joan presents a frontal, mask-like face against a saturated red curtain backdrop. The figure’s wide, stylized eyes and simplified facial features evoke animation and avatar design, producing a deliberately synthetic presence that resists psychological realism. A Death’s-head hawkmoth placed over the mouth directly recalls The Silence of the Lambs, introducing a cinematic reference to Jodie Foster- the source of the name “Jodi.” The motif introduces themes of silencing, psychological tension, and mediated identity.

When viewed together, the works create a dialogue between withdrawal and exposure. One figure turns away, appearing closed off and inaccessible, while the other confronts the viewer with unsettling directness. This contrast reflects Rogers’ interest in identity as something that is not fixed, but that shifts across different versions and states within a series.

Working in a visual world shaped by the internet, where images are constantly copied, edited, and shared, Rogers questions ideas of authorship and originality. Ultimately, the Self Portrait as Clone of Jeanne d’Arc series reflects a contemporary experience of identity as something composed from multiple sources at once- broken apart, reassembled, and reshaped each time it appears.

Framed: 27 1/2 x 22 3/4 inches.

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