Contact Sheet 165: looking & looking

Contact Sheet 165: looking & looking

Featuring the works of Jen Davis and Amy Elkins and published in conjunction with the Light Work exhibition "looking & looking," Contact Sheet 165 features a unique format which allows the reader to experience the book from two directions. Both artists create work that focuses on gaze and identity, with Davis looking at herself and Elkins looking at young male athletes. The images in the exhibition explore the perception of how men and women are supposed to appear in society--men should be strong and confident, women should be beautiful--and the crafting of a self-image. Jen Davis creates self-portraits that deal with issues surrounding beauty, identity, and body image of women, and challenges the perceptions and stereotypes of how women should look in their physical appearances. Amy Elkins depicts the more aggressive, competitive, and violent aspects of male identity in her series Elegant Violence, which captures portraits of young Ivy League rugby athletes moments after their game. Elkins' images explore the balance between athleticism, modes of violence or aggression, and varying degrees of vulnerability within a sport where brutal body contact is fundamental. Both artists focus on the construction of identity--the players are astutely aware of how they are presenting themselves while Davis draws attention to her own self-image in a more emotional way. Shown together, the works of Davis and Elkins urge the viewer to consider expectations and perceptions (both societal and individual) of identity. This catalogue includes essays by Hannah Frieser and Shane Lavalette.

Country	USA
Author	Jen Davis and Amy Elkins
Binding	Paperback
EAN	9780935445770
ISBN	0935445773
Label	Light Work
Manufacturer	Light Work
NumberOfPages	48
PublicationDate	2012-02-01
Publisher	Light Work
Studio	Light Work
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Contact Sheet 165: looking & looking

You might also like...