All people have their own psychological quirks; we accept this as an essential element of human nature. During the past fifteen years, more and more artists have been probing these peculiarities, exploring neurosis as a primary subject of their art. Slightly Unbalanced features art that deals with a range of psychological tendencies, including anxiety, obsessive behavior, depression and narcissism. The artists question what constitutes normalcy, and what qualifies as neurosis, a slippery and suggestive endeavor.

The exhibition spans four distinct thematic sections. The first one features several artists (Bourgeois, Nauman, Sherman, Kelley, and Calle) who have introduced new psychological imagery and content into recent art, building a foundation of artistic possibilities. The second section coalesces around artists who play a performative role in their own videos; most of these explore the cultural stereotype of the narcissistic creative persona, such as the idiosyncratic, manipulative character named “Lois” in Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn’s work Winner. The third section focuses on diaristic or confessional formats, as if the viewer is bearing witness to different individuals’ inner monologues, or reading their diary entries. The last section, which includes several sculptural installations, explores the house as a fertile metaphor for the mind—the domestic interior as a stand-in for the psyche.

The field of psychology is 150 years old, and many of its basic concepts and terminology are embedded in our presuppositions about how people think and act, what drives and motivates us. The artists whose works are presented in Slightly Unbalanced, in choosing to concentrate on neurosis, have tapped into a charged theme that provokes a range of responses, including discomfort, recognition, empathy, and humor. Their development of psychologically loaded subject matter provides a deeply enriched vocabulary for contemporary art.

The catalogue for this exhibition includes an essay by curator Susan Hapgood, a text by psychologist Susan M. Andersen, and brief statements by the artists. Hapgood is director of exhibitions at iCI.

Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn, Winner (video still), 2002

Exhibition Itinerary

Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois
January 26, 2008 - April 13, 2008

AVAILABLE
May 2008 - February 2009

Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia
March 13 - May 24, 2009

AVAILABLE
June 2009 - August 2009

Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, Louisiana
September 18, 2009 - December 31, 2009