MacKenzie Thomas, a prominent internet personality, has embarked on a compelling artistic endeavor titled "I Said What I Said." This durational performance, spanning four hours, sees Thomas publicly recounting her past year's social media posts from X, interwoven with intimate personal essays reflecting on her life experiences. The work challenges traditional notions of art and authorship in the digital age, sparking crucial conversations about the intersection of personal identity and artistic expression within contemporary culture. Her performance has garnered significant attention, prompting both sold-out shows and critical contemplation on how online personas influence and reshape the artistic landscape.
Performance Artist MacKenzie Thomas Blurs Lines Between Persona and Art in Captivating Show
In a thought-provoking artistic presentation held on January 12, 2026, at a theater situated above the vintage shop Surrender Dorothy in New York, internet personality MacKenzie Thomas unveiled her four-hour performance, "I Said What I Said." Thomas, who boasts a substantial following across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, engaged a captivated audience by reading aloud a comprehensive archive of her X posts from the preceding year. Each monthly segment of her social media reflections was introduced by a deeply personal essay, offering profound insights into the pivotal moments of her life during that period.
During the performance, Thomas candidly navigated a spectrum of emotional experiences, revealing details of a significant breakup, the loss of a beloved family pet, struggles with an eating disorder, and complex family dynamics. She punctuated these narratives with humorous anecdotes and self-referential jokes about her biracial identity, her hairstyle, and interactions with gay men. She often spoke of herself in the third person, offering a unique perspective on her own public image. Notably, her success as an internet figure, which includes a 2023 New York Times profile highlighting her childhood diary readings, was conspicuously absent from this diaristic account.
The stage was meticulously set with a projector displaying a Google Slides presentation, alongside her personal items such as a Stanley cup, Gatorade, coconut water, her laptop, and a speaker, creating an intimate yet public confessional atmosphere. The performance has already enjoyed two sold-out runs in New York and is scheduled to transfer to Los Angeles at Heavy Manners, demonstrating its compelling resonance with audiences. This ambitious project prompts a re-evaluation of what constitutes art in an era dominated by digital content and the constant performance of self.
This artistic venture by MacKenzie Thomas provocatively raises questions about the boundaries of art criticism in the digital epoch. As noted by Kate Eichhorn in her work "Content," the demand for artists to produce content about themselves blurs the distinction between their personal lives and their creative output. This echoes Arthur Danto's argument on the "end of art history," where the artist's personality becomes central, collapsing the historical gap between subject and object. The performance forces us to confront whether we are critiquing art or merely analyzing lived experiences. It also highlights how content capitalism, as explored by Anna Kornbluh, encourages the constant capitalization and optimization of one's "inner material," transforming personal narratives into a blend of various digital genres. Unlike early net-art performances where distinct personas allowed for critical distance, Thomas's work, where she herself admits the indistinction between her personality and persona, challenges conventional critical frameworks. It underscores the ceaseless performance demanded by digital platforms and the blurring lines between authentic self and curated content, making the act of sustained attention a rebellious and impactful statement in an age of fleeting engagement.