Curated by
July 10, 2020
-
July 30, 2020
Looking Forward while Looking Back
With works by Derek Sargent & Jess Miley, Elizabeth Moran and Martin Smith.
Curated by Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen
July 10 - 30, 2020
Virtual Exhibition
This iteration History Interplays in part of the Looking Forward while Looking Back series brings together the works of Derek Sargent & Jess Miley, Elizabeth Moran and Martin Smith. It is an exploration and reconstruction of history from different perspectives that includes research based work, autobiographical elements, and a particular focus on alternative historical archives.
When thinking of history and its facts, what gets to be highlighted and documented and what remains hidden? Fixed beliefs, accepted truths, and diverse points of view show that source, context, and the use of information will transform and adapt depending on the approach and circumstance.
About the artists:
Derek Sargent & Jess Miley
Derek Sargent and Jess Miley have been collaborating together for over three years on their performative research project, “The Grave Project,” which researches historic individuals who have had an impact on queer and non-normative culture. The project examines the way the queerness of these people is used in the construction of their biographies and how, where they lived had a profound effect on their queer story. These biographies act as a framework to examine ideas around queer existence. This research culminates in a pilgrimage to their burial sites which is documented in photography, film and text to create an alternative historical archive.
Elizabeth Moran
Guided by a preoccupation with the subjectivity of facts, Elizabeth Moran uses forms of documentation to examine the reliability of information and how evidence is often far from evident. TIME will tell is part of an ongoing project including extensive research of the TIME, Inc. corporate archive and an investigation of the earliest history of the first professional fact-checkers.
Moran’s work—from technological to linguistic mediation—reminds us that fact-checking is not simply a process of confirming the veracity of a piece of information. Fact-checking is yet another form of myth-making.
Martin Smith
In response to… is a part of life-long project where I am writing an auto-biographical novel where each letter is hand-cut from a photograph. The series began in 2004 after the death of my father and currently there are 45 unique components.
The combination of text and photography to create meaning is ubiquitous within contemporary communication, it is used in advertising, press, fine art and through the verbal ribbon that accompanies family photography. The text is written in the voice of a narrator that is explaining the details of an image. The stories are usually 300 words long and detail embarrassing events, formulative relationships, reflections and mundane musings on life in a humorous and relatable voice
Due to COVID regulations, attendance is limited for the opening reception.
NARS Foundation Galleries are open to the public from 12pm - 5pm, Monday - Friday. Please contact info@narsfoundation.org with any other inquires.
