SELF(IE) PORTRAITS
January 31 through March 1, 2014
Public reception on February 6 from 6:00 to 8:00pm
THE WORK
Artists have used themselves as subjects frequently since the mid-1400s, and many of the most compelling and memorable images of art history are self portraits. In the years since the term “selfie” became common, however, consumer self portraiture has overwhelmed the artistic genre in quantity. The essence of the best artistic self portraits (what Alicia Eler defines as “private moments made for public consumption”) persists in social media, but selfies also shine a bright light on qualities that artists may previously have treated with nuance, such as the fluid nature of identity and the gap between self-presentation and how we are perceived. This group exhibition offers a view of self portraiture at a time when the genre is evolving in response to, and influencing, the selfie phenomenon.
Join us for a closing talk by Alicia Eler on March 1 from 11:30am to 1:00pm at Upfor. Alicia Eler is an art critic, curator and writer whose projects focus on American pop and consumer culture, adolescence and sexualities. Her column for Hyperallergic discusses the role, meaning and historical context of the contemporary selfie, eventually growing into The Selfie Generation. Eler’s writing on selfies has been referenced by The Washington Post and art critic Jerry Saltz. On March 1, Eler will discuss the emerging grey area between consumer selfies and artist self-portraits in reference to the exhibition in a lecture and talk-back.
THE ARTISTS
Lorna Barnshaw (b. 1991, Northampton, UK) studies and explores the rapidity of digital advances and their integration into daily life, often engaging with networks and 3d imaging. She recently earned her BFA with First Class Honours from Winchester School of Art in Hampshire, where she served on the curating team for student-run gallery spaces. Barnshaw lives and works in London, UK.
Ian Ingram (b. 1974 in Atlanta, GA) has produced at lest one self-portrait every year since 1990. Working in charcoal and pastel, Ingram’s self-portraits are autobiographical reflections, often created during transitional life changes. Ingram is a graduate of the University of Georgia and studied at Washington University in St. Louis and Temple/Tyler Art School in Rome, Italy. He is currently based in Austin, TX.
TJ Norris (b. 1965 in Boston, MA) is a curator, multidisciplinary artist and writer. His work has been featured in the Tacoma Art Museum’s 10th Northwest Biennial, CoCA Seattle, and in the Oregon Center on Photographic Art’s viewing drawers at Blue Sky Gallery, Portland. Formerly based in Portland, Oregon, he recently relocated to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in Texas.
Julie Perini (b. 1977 Poughkeepsie, NY) makes experimental and documentary films/videos, as well as photographs, installations, events, and works of creative writing. Perini’s work often explores what falls between fact and fiction, the staged and improvised, the personal and political. Based in Portland, Oregon, she is an Associate Professor of Art Practice at Portland State University.
Jordan Rathus (b. 1983 in Princeton, New Jersey) creates playful videos, performances and installations that thoughtfully examine genre tropes and pop culture using humor and behind-the-scenes self-consciousness as critical tools. She holds an MFA in Visual Arts (New Genres) from Columbia University and BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University. She is based in Brooklyn, NY.
Samantha Wall (b. 1977 in Seoul, South Korea) works primarily in drawing, using portraiture to express and explore complex cultural identities and psychological states. She holds an MFA in Visual Studies from PNCA and recently exhibited at the Art Gym at Marylhurst University and the CUE Art Foundation in New York. Wall is represented by Russo Lee Gallery in Portland, OR.
Tyler Wallace (b. 1985 in Savannah, GA) is a Portland-based multimedia artist whose video and installation work focuses on themes of personal history, identity construction, and coming of age. Wallace is currently based in Portland and holds a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
PRESS
Not Your Average Selfie - Hyperallergic
Self(ie) Portraits (review) - Visual Art Source