The Grunwald Gallery at Indiana University Bloomington is pleased to present the exhibition Kinship, curated by Assistant Professor of Photography, Elizabeth M. Claffey and Gallery Director, Betsy Stirratt. The exhibit will contain photographs and installation pieces by six U.S. based contemporary artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. The exhibit will open on October 13 and continue through November 16, 2017. Photographer Priya Kambli will present a public lecture about her work on Thursday, November 2 at 5:30 pm in the Grunwald Gallery.
Exhibition: October 13, 2017 through November 16, 2017
Opening Reception: October 13, 2017, 6:00 - 8:00pm | Grunwald Gallery
Artist Lecture: Priya Kambli: November 2, 2017, 5:30pm | Grunwald Gallery
Through the work of artist photographers Tara Bogart, Elizabeth M. Claffey, Joy Christiansen Erb, Letitia Huckaby, Priya Kambli and Rachelle Mozman, Kinship examines the influence of family life on personal and cultural identity. Each artist delves into the complex nature of family structures to express how it shapes internal dialogue and personal narrative. Through various avenues of investigation such as family lore and heritage, this exhibition addresses what it means to embody familial identity, while experiencing otherness within a public and private context. Within a patriarchal system, knowledge and inquiry are considered currency of the public sphere. Kinship aims to challenge this assumption by exploring the deep knowledge base developed through living in and observing domestic space, caring for others, and nourishing family. Mainstream media representations of home can reinforce normative scripts that fail to express the conflicts and rewards of family life. Through the efforts of these six artists, the viewer might consider the value of womanhood and the multifaceted roles that women play within the domestic sphere.
Each artist examines their own cultural heritage through the lens of family life and mnemonic objects. Priya Kambli, born in India, immigrated to the U.S. in young adulthood after the death of her parents. She and her sister split the only inheritance they received: old family photographs. In her series, Color Falls Down, Kambli uses these photographs in tandem with images of her home space to express where her identities overlap and intertwine. Letitia Huckaby is an artist based in Texas who uses old family textiles to hold images of the women in her family who have shaped her personal identity and the traditions of caretaking and love that she passes on to her children. Rachelle Mozman Solano is a New York based artist who collaborates with her mother to examine the complex nature of family dynamics, politics of beauty, and skin color within her project, Casa de Mujeres. Joy Christiansen Erb creates photographs exploring the subjects of motherhood and family. The images document both the struggles and triumphs of everyday life. Tara Bogart was raised by her mother and aunt after her father left at an early age, in her series, Related Women, she pays homage to each of them as artists and places herself among them with still life images of their most prized possessions. Lastly, Elizabeth M. Claffey, photographs objects that have been passed down through generations of women in her family.
Each object reveals the physical remnants of a body long gone; including stains, tears, and loose thread from clothing that was kept close to the body for comfort and protection and stitching by the artist represent the deep influence of one’s familial past on personal identity and perceptions of the body.
EXHIBITION AND SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS
This exhibition and symposium is made possible by the Themester at Indiana University.