title: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS
year: 2021
src origin: link to asset
type: unique digital asset
size: 8268 × 11811px, 300dpi
type: png

The digital collage There is no such thing as identity directly references the infamous statement by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: “There is no such thing as society.” As a key architect of European neoliberalism, Thatcher’s words articulated a fundamental denial of collective structures in favor of radical individualism—a political stance that continues to shape contemporary discourse.

In this work, Thatcher’s quote is not only echoed but visually embodied: the classical bust depicted is that of Thatcher herself. From her forehead—aligned with the dantian, a symbolic center of internal energy—a red laser beam shoots out, visually severing the composition and drawing a line directly toward the word “IDENTITY.” This gesture literalizes a critical link between neoliberal ideology and the current prominence of identity politics.

The work suggests that the intense focus on individual identity emerging since the 2008 financial crisis is not separate from, but rather a direct extension of, neoliberal principles. The laser functions both as a visual device and a metaphorical incision—suggesting identity as a construct under ideological pressure, surveillance, and fragmentation.

Art historically, the piece positions itself within a tradition of post-conceptual text-based practices and politically charged digital collage, reminiscent of artists like Jenny Holzer, Trevor Paglen, or Forensic Architecture. Yet it takes a more symbolic and subjective stance. There is no such thing as identity operates as a visual condensation of late 20th- and early 21st-century political narratives, where Thatcher’s legacy becomes both subject and agent of critique.