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Uncanny Likeness:
The Contemporary Self-Portrait
Curated by Susan Bright
This comprehensive international exhibition highlights the richness of contemporary self-portraiture within fine art photography. Self portraiture is currently experiencing an exciting and dramatic renaissance, and a critical investigation of the form is long overdue. Uncanny Likeness asks why so many artists feel that once again it’s time to turn the camera on themselves.
This exhibition identifies five distinct areas of practice, highlighting different strategies and approaches to contemporary self-portraiture. Under the sections “Diaries,” “Masquerade,” “Codes and Conventions,” “Performance” and “Body” curator Susan Bright surveys the best new self-portraits made in Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Australia.
Self portraits are intensely personal, but also mirror wider issues. The portraits in this exhibition show that, for many, the self can be expressed in a body, a performance, a face or an environment. Whatever the motivation self-portraiture has long been one of the most popular genres in photography, both for artist and viewer.
Artists include: Nick Cave, Sophie Calle, Janieta Eyre, Nan Goldin, Jeff Harris, Hew Lock, Arno Minkkinen, Tracey Moffatt, Yasumasa Morimura, Trish Morrissey, Susanne Nørregård Nielsen, Ken Ohara, Catherine Opie, Tatsumi Orimoto, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Tatiana Parcero, Martin Parr, and Juergen Teller.
Susan Bright is the author of the highly successful book Art Photography Now, Aperture, New York, (2005). She co-curated and co-authored with Vince Aletti the book and exhibition, Face of Fashion, at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and is co-curator with Val Williams of the Tate Britain's major photographic exhibition How We Are Photographing Britain, 2007.
Image:
Zhang Huan, Homeland, 2001, Shandong, China. Courtesy of the artist.
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