Dates
4/21 2017 – 5/14 2017
Reception: 4/21 2017 6PM – 10PM
Location
Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art
Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
United States
Details
Please join Faith Damm and Alexis Marie Sheets for the opening of their curatorial debut, “Unmasking Identity.” Hosted by Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA) and made possible by Ted G. Decker.
Artists shown:
Malena Barnhart
Constance McBride
Christian Stewart
Karolina Sussland
Kays Willbur
“Merging two curatorial personalities and delving into the identities of the artists, “Unmasking Identity,” boldly examines and questions the fine line between the superficial and inner self.
Art has historically been used as a way to express emotions lurking beneath the surface; a sort of safe space to convey the divergence between our inner and outer selves. Almost every artist struggles with developing a boundary-pushing identity while also attempting to appear palatable to both intellectual and superficial scrutiny. Unmasking Identity features the work of artists Malena Barnhart, Constance McBride, and Karolina Sussland as well as the work of art students Christian Stewart and Kayla Wilbur. These artists offer a unique and varied perspective on identity from a direct interpretation of the inner-self by artist Kayla Wilbur to a more social context represented by Malena Barnhart. All artists featured display not only a strong personal artistic vision, but also create work that speaks on a larger note about identity in relation to the world around us.
First impressions are everything, yet they rarely match a person’s true identity. We are living in a superficially obsessed culture that is bombarded by over-saturation. People create artificial identities and images that are readily available for immediate and constant consumption. Almost everyone is desperately trying to establish a distinctive persona that fosters both individualism and some degree of cultural, political, and societal inclusiveness. How, then, does one wade through this overabundance of manufactured personalities and discover what truly lies beneath?”
For more information on phICA, Emerging Curators Initiative, or Faith Damm and Alexis Sheet’s show, “Unmasking Identity,” please visit: