The Personal is Linguistic: Personal Pronouns in the Art of Mirella Bentivoglio and Ketty La Rocca

Personal pronouns occur repeatedly in the works of Italian artists Mirella Bentivoglio and Ketty La Rocca. Both were significantly shaped by visual poetry late 1960s, continued their exploration language arts throughout 1970s. Notably, engagement with personal centered first-person singular “I.” As key site subject-constitution language, this linguistic category is crucial to a great number early feminist writings. In recourse these writings, I argue that Rocca negotiate pronoun “I” as predetermined make use it introduce alterity into constitution gendered subject. They do so engaging public signs. Considering cornerstones critique arts, article explores critical potential for very critique.