Internet personality MacKenzie Thomas staged a four-hour durational performance titled "I Said What I Said" in New York, where she read aloud every post she made on X over the past year, interspersed with personal essays. The performance, which sold out both New York showings, will travel to Los Angeles at Heavy Manners. Thomas recounted intimate details of her life, including a breakup, her dog's death, health struggles, and family dynamics, while notably omitting her success as an influencer with half a million followers.
The performance raises critical questions about the blurring line between art and personal content in the attention economy, as explored by scholar Kate Eichhorn. The reviewer grapples with whether to critique the artwork itself or the personality behind it, echoing Arthur Danto's 1986 argument that the centrality of the artist's personality in contemporary art may signal a shift in art history. This piece matters because it reflects a growing tension in art criticism as internet personalities increasingly present their lives as performance art.