FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Identity
in collaboration with the Women’s Caucus for Art
In a world dominated by pop culture, society and the media – how is identity defined?
In collaboration with gallery nine5, Karen Gutfreund, Exhibitions Director of the Women’s Caucus for Art, is pleased to announce an international exhibition of 25 works from 21 female artists.
Identity seeks to expose the extremism of a consumer culture dominated by Western notions of beauty and the pursuit of idealized feminine perfection by exploring themes of power, representation and objectification. Female artists, in particular, face the challenge of identifying themselves amidst a society determined to do it for them. The artists featured in Identity attempt to manipulate the boundaries of authority and dominance and explore deeper themes of control. The viewer is challenged to confront his or her own gaze on the body and reflect on the psychological aspects of the female persona. Drawing from a feminist perspective, the selected works aim to define gender and identity through the artist’s terms, whether through accepting or rejecting society’s view, and voicing their individual definitions of the powerful feminine.
Twenty-five works for Identity are showcased in the gallery, with an additional 81 works online. Jurors Anne Swartz and Elena Maria Buszek say of the show’s selection process, “Our respective scholarship on feminist art and activism centers on the image of woman as she evolves, as she looks both outward and inward. Popular culture and stereotypes are evident, alongside meditations on art history, and how visual culture in the broadest sense shapes our identities. Sex, sexuality, and the self-portrait sometimes show up in conjunction or separately.”
The artists in the exhibition at gallery nine5 are Shonagh Adelman, Chan & Mann, Sally Edelstein, Claire Joyce, Lauren Kalman, Beth Lakamp, Jessica Lichtenstein, Jessica Maria Manley, Meghan Mantia and Leone Reeves, Sarah Maple, Ellen Deitell Newman, Samantha Persons, Mei Xian QIu, Jennifer Reeder, Phyllis Rosser, Sonal Shah, Erin Sparler, Joanne Ungar, Cristina Velazquez, and Meghan Willis.
24 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 • T 212 965 9995 • F 212 965 9997 • www.gallerynine5.com