You donโt have to say that nature is aware of your existence, that God knows you are here. The camera gives you proof that you have lived at least once.
Lucas SamarasI was my own Peeping Tom. Because of the absence of people I could do anything, and if it wasn't good I could destroy it without damaging myself in the presence of others. In that sense I was my own clay. I formulated myself, I mated with myself, and I gave birth to myself. And my real self was the product - the polaroids.
Lucas SamarasThe selfie era offers a big opening: everybody can do it; nowadays even five-year-olds know how to take a nude self-portrait.
Lucas SamarasAt any rate, when I began photographing myself, I could place myself in poses that had not been investigated by other artists. It was an area other artists hadn't touched. Then, I went on from there. I manipulated my image - distorting it, brutalizing it. People thought I was mad, but I felt I had to tell these things. It gave me a kind of excitement.
Lucas Samaras