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On Autonomy: Personal Agency Under Late Stage Capitalism, Levi Gentry

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

Personal agency is the feeling of control over one’s actions. Capitalism is deeply etched into the fabric of America and the world at large. In this paper, I propose that late stage capitalism has forever altered the means by which personal agency manifests, that it has left no room for alternatives on account of its far-reaching scope. My work, through its subject matter and medium, refers to the lack of autonomy under escape or embrace. Failure and futility are both key ideas, as complacency is intrinsic to our current moment, which is evocative of the ongoing metamodern art movement.