RE: figure - a contemporary look at figurative representation in art
Preview by Niki Grangruth
RE: figure, curated by Cole Robertson, combines new and old styles of representation to examine how the figure is portrayed in contemporary art.
The most controvercial works come from Barbara DeGenevieve's photographs and video from her "Panhandler Project." DeGenevieve asked homeless African American men to pose for her nude in a hotel room, and in turn, they would receive compensation. The work is
inherently exploitive in its depiction of a marginalized population. However, artists have been representing the nude, marginalized female figure for generations. Picasso painted prostitutes he slept with. So did Manet. DeGenevieve's work unearths some vital questions: Is it more disturbing because the subjects are male, or because they are African American? Is it because they are represented in photographic form and that is more "real"? This work triggers a multi-layered response, which is consistent through most of the exhibition.
Also included in the show are Sabrina Raaf's photographs of herself and devices she has created. One such device turns menstrual blood into breast and hip implants. Raaf, most well-known for her kinetic robots, has created functioning devices, which she documents in photographic form, that comment on the obsession with bodily perfection. While the images are somewhat erotic, depicting a partially nude figure decked out in lacy lingerie, this is disrupted by the macabre material from which these implants are made.
While the show is obviously photocentric, there is more traditional media present. Don Doe's drawings of Madonna-like women are distorted and twisted. In one particular image, the mother appears psychotic and almost cannibalistic. She's clad in a red shirt and jean shorts, holding her equally disturbing child to her shoulder. Doe has disrupted the traditional maternal ideal, and instead these mothers appear primal and uncaring.
All in all, RE: figure includes an attractive mix of artists, media and content. While it does reveal some taboo subjects, it's not particularly shocking or offensive to those familiar with contemporary art. Or maybe I'm just jaded.
Other Artists Included: Edna Dapo, Robert Flynt, Ashley Hope, Jenny Kindler, Jason Salavon, Betsy Schneider, Amber Hawk Swanson, Stacia Yeapanis and Su-en Wong.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: BarbaraDeGenevieve's, ColeRobertson, DonDoe, Sabrina Raaf
