The following titles and select curatorial notes are in order of appearance in the gallery above.
1. Opening Reception Announcement
2. 00:17:00 - 00:17:59 (2018) by Alice Tang
3. Jessica 15:59 (2018) by Alice Tang
4. Jessica 16:01 (2018) by Alice Tang. --“I approached the theme of diversity and identity with a prompt that was perhaps unspectacular but which strove to be maximally inclusive,” writes the artist. “I asked people for objects that represented a side of them or a story that not many know about. This prompt unfolded most fruitfully in the visions and conversations it inspired.”
5. Male Gaze (2018) by Aisha Tahir.
6. No. (2018) by Aisha Tahir.
7. Untitled 1. (2018) by Aisha Tahir.
8. E.C. (2018) by Michelle Min.
9. A.L.(2018) by Michelle Min. 10. Smile (2018) by Gargi Sadalgekar. -- The artist frames her work as a confrontation: “Ask me to smile, I dare you.” The sitter looks bluntly at the viewer, challenging us to return her stare. Expression, clothing and posture work together to challenge stereotypical representations of women.
11. She Looks Back and Ahead (2018) by Nathan Phan. -- The artist writes that this place, simultaneously public and secluded, holds a distinct meaning for the sitter: “Coming here as an international student, she often didn’t feel at home in her dorm and would come to this bench behind Witherspoon at night. But today she sits here reflecting on her journey finding her place and community.”
12. Laugh it off (2018) by Karissa M. Lowe.
13. Matt 20:31 (2018) by Alice Tang.
14. Matt 21:11 (2018) by Alice Tang. -- On his experience, the sitter writes: “I had a lot of fun doing my makeup for this photoshoot, though it was a bit weird to be watched while in progress. Makeup is important to me, and in some ways I see it as the method through which I assert control over my appearance. As my hand grips the brush, I know that only I have the power in that moment, to change how I look and choose my own destiny. But then again, I also just like experimenting with different looks. So for the most part, it’s not that deep.”
15. Ro 19:59 (2018) by Alice Tang.
16. Christian 22:12 (2018) by Alice Tang.
17. Christian 22:14 (2018) by Alice Tang.
18. d U fEl me? (2018) by Gabriel Y. Shapiro
19. Untitled 1 (2018) by Gabriel Y. Shapiro
20. Alejandro Naranjo Sandoval (2018) by Gabriel Y. Shapiro
21. Ornamentalism: Sequence 1-6 (2018) by Yuanyuan Zhao. -- From the artist: “This series of work was inspired by Professor Anne Cheng’s work, Ornamentalism: A Feminist Theory for the Yellow Woman. She made a critique on how limited our conversations have been on the issues relating to the representation of Asian female bodies in the western world, and offered another frame to examine the representation: ornamentalism. This idea that Asian female bodies are not simply reduced to objects, but that they are the objects, specifically the ornaments, is profound for me. The ornaments on my skin are photographs of trees on campus. It is even striking to myself that without these ornaments, my nude self portraits have little evidence indicative of my Asian identity. However, the ornament itself can, without a fail, speak for a certain Asian femininity. Not many conversations on this topic have been made on campus, and I hope that this project can make people think and question the issues around the representation of Asian female bodies more critically.”
