|
This group exhibition showcases 36 artists from a New Jersey statewide call for entries addressing the concept of identity in an engaging and diverse spectrum of interpretation, regardless of medium. The artists were presented with this premise: “Identity in the 21st century speaks of both our contemporary culture and our heritage. ‘Identity theft,’ cloning, pop culture icons, feminism and racial stereotyping are all diverse hallmarks of our ‘new’ and global culture that have pushed the boundaries of how we as individuals see ourselves and others.” |
 |
New Jersey Artists: Identity – Kathryn Klanderman and France Garrido
This group exhibition showcases 36 artists from a New Jersey statewide call for entries addressing the concept of identity in an engaging and diverse spectrum of interpretation, regardless of medium. The artists were presented with this premise: “Identity in the 21st century speaks of both our contemporary culture and our heritage. ‘Identity theft,’ cloning, pop culture icons, feminism and racial stereotyping are all diverse hallmarks of our ‘new’ and global culture that have pushed the boundaries of how we as individuals see ourselves and others.”
The artwork in the show ranges from portraiture such as Janet Zdunek’s (Hoboken) piece Cloning Will, a traditional oil painting, to conceptual work as in Pat Brentano’s (Westfield) piece patbrentano.com, a simple yet powerful statement about our place in the cyber world.
Environment, culture and heritage clearly define us, but so do our intimate lives. Immigration was a theme that wandered throughout some of the pieces in a way that was striking. The fright, isolation and longing for the familiar is apparent in several of the works; such as in Aileen Bassis’ (Oradell) Immigrant Departure and Liz Niklus’ (Millville) Lullabyland, whose Armenian family fled brutality only to find themselves in isolation entering into the US.
The issue of abuse was addressed in Coming Home Part 1, Melissa Buesing’s (Secaucus) deeply sensitive and vulnerable image of a young woman delicately and hesitantly stepping and pausing on a bed of flowers at the walkway to the door of her childhood home and Self Portrait 1, by Stephanie Natiello (Elizabeth) a haunting image of a woman ripping away at the past and facing the horrors of having been a victim. A deep and dark space where there is no other alternative than to face the demon and step into the light in a most sincere and touching manner.
Self-examination via portraits such as June, a self portrait by Holly Lynton (Weehawken) and David Dziemian’s (Bayonne) Emm’s Plaything (Self portrait as a Bobblehead), to ideas of beauty questioned in the freestanding sculpture Obsession by Joan Permison (Union) and Pam Cooper’s (Upper Saddle River) delicate mixed media piece, Reflection 3.
Experiencing and revisiting the works of art, studying one piece after the other created such thoughts and questions as these. How deeply does the media’s interpretation of how we should look, what we should wear, what we should say and think affect the minds and lives of the general public as well as reflecting on the behavior and thoughts of our TV/computerized younger generation? What are we teaching our society about the concept of self? How does the over-consumption of media without questioning or searching for alternative views feed images that translate and dictate our lifestyle? What value do we place on humanity and spirituality? What are our concepts and views of self-image? All these questions come to the forefront and are touched on in this provocative exhibition. This exhibit lends itself as a jumping off point for deep discussion and questioning. We are at a point where our society has no choice but to investigate and explore before we can move forward into a world where there is acceptance of who we are, what we are and where we came from.
