Face: a Response to the World
A Semio-Semantic Reflection on Babak Haghi’s Printmaking
Author: Sohrab Ahmadi, Art and Literature Researcher
With over 12 years of artistic activity in photography and the organization of various solo and group
shows, Babak Haghi presents a new collection in which he diverges from the medium of photography.
What sets this collection apart from his previous works is the utilization of printmaking on cardboard
and paper, employing different materials. The distinctive feature of this collection lies in the manual
printing process, where the photograph undergoes a dual printing, first on photographic paper and then
manually transferred onto cardboard or paper. This dual process imparts a unique formal and semantic
impact, capturing the trace of the enunciator 1 twice: first within the photograph and again in the
printmaking.
In essence, based on a semantic analysis focused solely on the text (Babak Haghi’s Handprints), we
function as commentators or analysts of the enunciator’s presence in the text. Our signs in the text
represent the detached 2 traces of the enunciator. Consequently, the central theme of this collection is
the body 3 , aligning with Haghi’s recurrent thematic concerns. The body reveals itself in diverse forms as
we encounter traces of its presence. The collection revolves around the traces of the enunciator and the
body. While the body has taken various forms in Haghi’s previous collections, this time, it is juxtaposed
with the face 4 , establishing a duality of face/body. It is upon this duality that we attempt to address the
central question of the presence of the body and face in this collection.
It appears that the body, as portrayed or emerged through the technique of printmaking, is at complete
or gradual 5 odds with constructed and predefined identities. Consequently, external modalities 6 or
actions generate impulses in the body, leading to an identity rupture. With this rupture, the enunciator
places identity in parentheses, challenging and transforming all preconceived notions about identity,
body, and gender into a central and even authoritative question. Regarding the face, we also observe
that while each one in its initial or figurative 7 expression can represent any face for the viewer, in its
deep structure 8 , the face becomes a fundamental conceptual representation and transforms into a
cognitive object for identity recognition. Only through the face can one move toward others and even
1 Énonciateur
The underlying meaning of enunciating implies that each statement results from of an act of enunciation,
representing a personalized utilization of language whether verbal or non-verbal.
2 Le débrayage
Enunciating detachment involves broadening the scope, as it is through separation that one can traverse infinitely
in other reals, distancing oneself from the notion of “I”, “here”, and “now”. It is crucial to emphasize that we lack
access to the detachment experienced by others, and only through textual analysis can we discover the lines of
this separation or its traces.
3 Le corps
4 Le visage
5 Graduel
6 Modality, in a general sense, denotes the presence of one or more elements or statements that alter other
statements or elements upon their integration into the visual or verbal text.
7 Figuratif
8 In the semio-semantic studies of the Paris School, initial perception happens at the figurative level, and the
subsequent perceptions involve stimuli at cognitive, emotional, and various other levels.
oneself, recognizing them and oneself 9 ; therefore, the cognitive dimension takes precedence: by
creating emotional conflicts, the body transfers the cognitive burden more toward the face.
It should be mentioned that the body in this collection is defined as a fundamental rupture from identity
and is placed in parentheses. It is through the face that the body moves toward finding its identity.
Nevertheless, how identity and the dissociation of identity produce meaning through the expression
form of the body and face is the central question of this note. It must be acknowledged that, in this
collection, the movement of the body toward the face, or its transformation into a face, occurs very
slowly in the plane of expression 10 . The color spectrums, the removals around the cardboard, etc., are
evidence of this gradual yet continuous movement. Based on the semio-semantic approach of the Paris
School, we attempt to define different body types in the continuation of the text and discuss Babak
Haghi’s handprinted bodies. We will then address a cognitive object called the face, explaining how
identity is constructed through the face. The use of the Paris School’s semio-semantic approach aligns
with the process of staying within the text and disregarding extratextual elements 11 . The aim of this text
is to demonstrate that the body, through the face, is not just a physical presence but a way of
responding to existence and sometimes reconstructing the identity.
The Body and Its Role in Meaning Production
From the perspective of Paris School semio-semantics, the body assumes a significant and influential
role in the production of meaning. Beyond its physical manifestation, the body, encompasses sensory-
motor 12 forces, both of which contribute to meaning production 13 . In general, by internalizing and
expanding communicative experiences (touch, smell, taste), the internal field 14 of the body constructs a
carrier 15 for the inner representation of the body. It is crucial to distinguish the internal field of the body
from the physical body, as the latter is the focal point for various movements and senses originating
from the “I,” while the internal field emerges from the “self.” While sensations of suffering and pleasure
are related to feeling 16 and emanate from the “I”, the concept of “feeling oneself” or “suffering from
oneself” 17 is tied to the “self” or identity 18 .
In contrast to the internal field of the body, where internal feelings and experiences merge, the physical
body is body-centric, engaging in rapid and immediate perceptions. As previously mentioned, it is
derived from the “I” and possesses a visible and material substance 19 , serving as the reference center 20 of
9 See DenisBertrand In Search of Meaning, a Semio-Semantic Analysis of Mehdi Sahabi’s Visual Artworks, translated
by Marzieh Athari Nikazam and Sohrab Ahmadi, Tehran: Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts Publications, 2022
10 Le plan de l’expression
The plane of expression, in semio-semantics, conveys the visible and readable level, showcasing a deeper and
foundational structure.
11 Paratexte
12 La motricité
13 The author of this text acknowledges his indebtedness to Jacques Fontanille’s book, corps et sens (PUF, 2011) for
the classifications presented herein.
14 Le champ interne
15 La siège
16 Sentir
17 Se sentir
18 In Fontanille’s book, Le corps et sens, the terms “self” and “identity” are considered as nearly synonymous and
sometimes interchangeable, a conceptual proximity that applies similarly to the content of this text.
19 La substance matérielle
meaning.
Within Babak Haghi’s handprints, tension and conflict arise between the body and identity. The
established codes shaping the masculine body or the predefined narrative program 21 in the male body
undergo transformations when elements such as flowers or facial makeup are introduced. In other
words, the trajectory of the body’s movement changes like that of an agent 22 . With the introduction of
new elements, the body, although adaptable to predefined narrative codes, experiences tension due to
alterations in the narrative program. When this tension reaches the face, fundamental changes occur,
which we will explore further.
In this collection, the agent-body does not simply repeat the predetermined lessons 23 but takes on new
roles by incorporating narrative elements in the specific way we already mentioned. These roles deviate
from the predefined ones, placing the agent-body in novel emotional situations. The physical body, on
one hand, and the “I” and the “self”, on the other, experience conflict with each other.
The conflicts and tensions between the body and identity stem from the presence of two types of
identity: identity with others and identity with oneself. If the physical body is regarded as a linking
device with others in gestures and movements, it establishes a sensory envelope 24 between “me” and
the others, neither representing me nor others. Theis sensory envelope guides the energies emanating
from the “me”, and “the me as another” 25 . Thus, in addition to the physical body, Haghi’s prints reveal
that the sensory envelop of the body is clings to the unity of the “me” to prevent it from transforming
into another and undergoing identity loss. This, in turn, becomes a source of conflicts and emotional
struggles within the body.
Another role of this sensory envelope is to bear the pleasures and pains. We perceive these emotions
through the sensory envelope, sometimes playing a destructive role in conflict with the “self.” In the
collection of prints, we observe various roles of the sensory envelope, sometimes displayed through the
rupture of the body, sometimes with a disconnected front view, and other times through formal
renditions on the cardboard by removing its surface. Most visual agents are in a state of physical pain
and suffering, resulting from conflicts occurring between the body and identity. The body, still striving
not to be annihilated, seeks a carrier to reflect its identity, seemingly expressing identity through the
face. We will further examine the face and the emergence of identity through it.
Identity and Face
According to Ricoeur and Fontanille (see the previous section, “the Body”), “self” is linked to the
question of of identity. However, identity itself has two facets: on one hand, it pertains to the “same” 26
or the “similar to the same,” 27 the one that is printed on national ID cards or birth certificates. On the
other hand, it signifies “self-same,” referring to the unique individual I am in comparison to others. Thus,
20 Le centre de référence
21 Le programme narratif
22 Le corps en tant qu’actant
23 Il ne répète pas sa leçon
24 L’enveloppe sensorielle
25 Le moi comme un autre
26 Le même
27 Le semblable
identity is constructed and projected 28 through the “I.” Let’s not overlook that “I” and “self” are
commonly intertwined, constituting two sides of a singular essence, that is, the body-agent.
As previously mentioned, the conflicts of bodily identity in Haghi’s works give rise to the manifestation
of the face and impose identity construction through the face on the agent. In their quest for identity
through the expression of their views, Haghi’s faces are confronted with the question, “Who am I?” 29 – a
question the face asks itself among other faces. Responding to this question and explaining the pronoun
“I” are among the challenges faced by the photographer-printmaker. As a result of this questioning, a
discursive rupture occurs between the face and the body. In essence, “I” serves as the central reference
of the current body of the agent, while the face, with the eye as its focal point, does not acknowledge
this predefined, pre-elaborated “I”, whose identity is also constructed during encounters with others in
its discursive separations. The “I” intends to construct the identity of the agents in a specific manner.
Therefore, even though the body in this print collection is in conflict with identity, the face, through
detachment from discourse and subsequent reconnection, establishes identity. This identity is a
confrontation with the world, embodying all the codes that society has doubted, and this doubt has
arisen through discursive separation and in comparison with others.
In light of what has been said, Haghi’s faces, which sometimes gaze directly, sometimes adopt a profile
gaze, and at times conceal their gaze, signify an identity that has been denied from their bodies,
enduring affliction, constraints, encirclement, damage, and wounds inflicted by the body. Alongside the
body, the face moves toward expressing meaning and identity, which had been lost due to a narrative
detachment by the body. Consequently, the face becomes the primary feature of the body and the
means of responding to the world, reconstructing the identity of the bodies depicted in Haghi’s prints.
References:
Jacques Fontanille, corps et sens, PUF, 2011.
Paul Ricoeur, soi-même comme un autre, Seuil, 1990
Jacques Fontanille, DenisBertrand, Ivan Darrault-Harris In Search of Meaning, a Semio-Semantic Analysis
of Mehdi Sahabi’s Visual Artworks, translated by Marzieh Athari Nikazam and Sohrab Ahmadi, Tehran:
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts Publications, 2022