Zhang Huan, Family Tree # 1-9, 2001. Incorporated color coupler
print, 1/8, nine panels, 50 x 40” each. Collection of Stéphane
Janssen.
The Arizona State University Art Museum is touring an
exhibition of 30 works by seven contemporary photo- graphers all of
whom use themselves as their models. Subjectivity brings together
various cultural views of the self, combining two great art traditions
– that of the nude and that of the self-portrait. The work engages
postmodern notions of the body that question aspects of gender and species
identity. As both the photographer and the subject of the photograph,
each of these artists expands the idea of self-portrait to explore the
definition of the self. The face and the body are shaped, costumed and
multiplied, creating a theater of identity or a new way to perceive
the human form.
Zhang Huan (China) incorporates performance
intrinsically in his art. His photographs are, in fact, images of his
performance art, whether that involves using nude bodies To Raise
the Water Level in a Fish Pond, or To Add One Meter to an Unknown
Mountain. The images capture the Chinese emphasis on group problem
solving, even at its absurd extremes.
Zhao Bandi (China) is actor, director
and producer in work with a strong performative element, playing a variety
of roles with a toy panda in humorous pieces that often parody public
service announcements while sincerely conveying his message.
Like Bandi, Anthony Goicolea (born in
Atlanta, works in New York) reflects the role of film director. Goicolea
costumes himself to create an identity and an image. Unlike the other
artists in this exhibition, however, he often creates a complex narrative
in which he plays multiple figures interacting in a single incident.
Many of his images suggest dreams or memories of a darker side of childhood.
Yasumasa Morimura (Japan) meticulously
constructs costume, setting and make-up to recreate himself as cultural
icons, both male and female. Among those whose identity he recreates
is artist Frida Kahlo, wife of Diego Rivera.
Curator:
Marilyn A. Zeitlin
Director/Chief Curator
ASU Art Museum
For more information, contact:
Susan Ables
Administrative Assistant
ASU Art Museum
480.965.5299
Susan.ables@asu.edu
web:
http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/ |
|
Cindy
Sherman (born in New Jersey, lives in New York) explores the
icons of our culture, dressing and posing as various heroines from the
golden age of Hollywood, opera and art history. Questions of gender
identity arise in another image, as Sherman’s face becomes male,
complete with moustache.
Bob Carey (born in Arizona, lives in New
York) shapes his own body and face to create a new and unique species.
He explores the human face and smile in one piece, turns his body into
a machine in another, and uses light to eradicate parts of himself in
still another image. Light is also used to great effect in an image
where he floats seemingly weightlessly in a tutu – a poignant,
dying swan.
Arno Rafael Minkinnen (born in Finland,
lives in Massachusetts) differs from the other artists in this exhibition
in that he uses his body to create an organic architecture. His is the
most abstract vocabulary of those in the exhibition. His long limbs
function as architectural beams to form bridges or arches, blending
with the forms with which he poses.
Exhibition
Information
The Subjectivity exhibition includes:
- Approx. 40 works, some in series, framed
- 50 color catalogues
- Interpretive text panels and object labels
Rental Fee: $3,800 + shipping
Insurance: provided by venue
Availability: June 2004
Security: Moderate
Space
requirements: : Approx. 2,200 square feet
Catalog:
40 pages, 20 color pages and essay by Marilyn A. Zeitlin, Director/Chief
Curator, ASU Art Museum. Director/Chief Curator, ASU Art Museum. |
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Anthony Goicolea, Blizzard, 2001.
Laminated incorporated color coupler print on sintra, AP 1/6, 40
x 42”.
Collection of Stéphane Janssen. |
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