Back in March, when I wrote a post about portraiture, I was unaware that, only two months later, I’d be visiting the exhibit About Face on just that theme. The show at Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, California challenges traditional portraiture and explores how the genre “continually changes and shifts as artists respond to the present moment.” Portraits are about capturing both a likeness and an essence of a person (or creature). The work of nearly 100 local, national, and international artists was selected by jurors Zoë Latzer, Associate Curator and Director of Public Programs, ICA, San Jose, and David Reyes, Head of Exhibition Installation and Design, Huntsville Museum of Art. In considering cultural values of power and beauty, the artists created 2-D and 3-D objects with textiles, yarn, paper, video, photographs, paint, pastels, and other materials. They speak to individual experiences as well as collective social, political, and historical issues.

The images that follow are but a sampling of the diverse styles, media, techniques, and concepts the artists have employed to re-examine and overturn long-held ideas about portraiture. Without a statement next to each portrait, viewers don’t know the back story. Instead, we are left to reflect on each artist’s possible intention or perspective. As we imagine what the artists are trying to convey, our impressions are, of course, filtered through our personal background and whatever knowledge we might have of them. Those thoughts can be validated or negated when reading what’s written in a binder at the reception desk or by looking up the artists online.

What impressions do you form just from my photographs here? How do these portraits speak to you? Do they intrigue you? Do you want to know more about the person depicted, the creative skills that went into the piece, and why the artist chose to make this?

If you are not far from Bedford Gallery, do go and observe the artwork closely for yourself. There’s nothing like an in-person visit to experience the particular colors, textures, and dimensions. The exhibit runs until June 25.

If you haven’t read my March post (What Does a Portrait Tell Us?), have a look to discern both the differences, especially given new technologies and materials, and similarities between those portraits and the ones in About Face.

About Face: Contemporary Portraits

What’s That Color?

Chaos and Art