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Any portrait is both a document and
a subjective record of the relationship between the artist and his
or her sitter, blurring distinctions between public and private.
Presenting more than fifty visually striking and conceptually diverse
works from the past three decades, Likeness investigates
the private interactions and social dramas of a loose network of
artists who were active in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Berlin.
Many of the images evoke the heightened intimacy that is palpable
between artists who are close friends, while others pay homage to
muses and mentors, or treat the portrait as a memento mori, as in
Nan Goldin’s and AA Bronson’s images of fellow artists
David Wojnarowicz and Felix Partz. In each of the paintings, photographs,
drawings, and other works on view, the sitter’s active contribution
to the final image is readily apparent, as is the inherent license
granted to experiment outside the realm of conventional portraiture.
The exhibition, curated by Matthew
Higgs, director and chief curator at White Columns, New York, is
accompanied by an illustrated catalogue
with essays by Higgs, David Robbins, and San Francisco-based writer
Kevin Killian.
Exhibition
Itinerary
Final Itinerary
California College of Arts, Wattis Institute
San Francisco, California
February 28 – May 8, 2004
McColl Center for Visual Art
Charlotte, North Carolina
September 3 – November 6, 2004
Institute of Contemporary Art
Boston, Massachusetts
January 19 – May 1, 2005
Dalhousie University Art Gallery
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
May 26 – July 31, 2005
University Art Museum, California State
University at Long Beach
Long Beach, California
August 30 – October 30, 2005
Illingworth Kerr Gallery
Alberta College of Art & Design
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
January 12 – February 26, 2006
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
March 23 – May 12, 2006 |