REFIGURED:
An exhibition of photographs by Zoe Crosher, Ken Gonazles-Day, Tom Jones, and Shen Wei
Sheppard Contemporary and University Galleries
University of Nevada, Reno
Dates: Aug 25 – Sept 30, 2013
Lecture and Reception: August 29th 5:00 to 7:00pm
Sheppard Contemporary presents Refigured, an exhibition organized around the idea that history is ordered through narratives as malleable and subjective as the past is long and complex. Histories are archived through cultural materials from ancient cuneiform to Facebook photo albums. Of the many types of archives, the massive collection of photographs made across the globe since the earliest days of photography may be the most familiar and accessible. The four contemporary artists whose work is included in Refigured visit the photographic archive as a means for exposing the uncertainty of narrative, questioning our understanding of history, engaging fantasy, and writing new histories. On view from August 27- September 30, 2013, this exhibition is organized by Paul Baker Prindle, Director of University Galleries, University of Nevada, Reno.
From fashion photographs to identification card thumbnails, humanity is obsessed with imaging itself. Important questions arise when we think about how images of humans are made and how they are archived. Does an airbrushed senior portrait give a truthful representation of an adolescent teen? Can an image of protesters at one massive demonstration be used to exaggerate or underrepresent another demonstration on the nightly news? When we look at the photographic archive, can we accept the images it holds as authentic, representative historic documents? If yes, what perspectives, worldviews, and agendas contribute to the production of these images? If the answer is no, does this awareness of truth’s instability open up possibilities for reinterpretation of the archive?
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT ZOE CROSHER 2024
CONTACT: Z@ZOECROSHER.COM
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