Sat 8/31 @ 6pm
This Saturday, Breakneck Gallery presents its latest themed, group exhibition – Distorted Portraits. The show puts a contemporary twist on one of the oldest (and at one time “higher”) forms of art.
Before the development of the open art market, commissioned portraits were one of the easiest and most common ways for an artist to make a living outside of working for a religious institution. Artistic freedom was limited, because the opinion of the subject was ultimately more important than the artist’s. They couldn’t just paint an accurate representation; they had to make their clients feel flattered in order to justify the sale.
With the invention of the camera (and development of the open art market), artists (especially painters) were encouraged to experiment beyond realism because there was no longer a strong demand for them to document their reality. Some artists like those in the Tromp L’oeil movement tried (and were relatively successful) attempting to out-do the camera, but many artists began moving more and more towards abstraction.
Breakneck’s Distorted Portraits takes this traditional subject matter and turns it on its head. Each artist expands on the limitations of a traditional, realistic portrait. They add something more to their subject in terms of both visual aesthetics and their underlying subject matter.
Sean and Kristen Burns, owners of Breakneck Gallery, said:
“The art of portraiture has been as fundamental to art history as breathing is to life. Portraits document our history and provide a glimpse into the mind of the artist as well as the subject. A well-executed portrait is expected to show the inner essence of the subject from the artist’s point of view, and the artists in this show have non-traditional points of view. Whether using twisting facial renderings, exploding features, or whimsical drawings this showcase will be a collection of creepy, twisted, and/or off kilter portraiture.”
In this digital age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., it seems the majority of people in this generation have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of themselves online. Sometimes there is a very distinct difference between the photos someone uploads and the photos they’re tagged in. In this fashion, almost everyone is making self-portraits in an effort to present themselves in a particular way to their friends, family and the general public (often complete strangers).
Distorted Portraits deals with ideas of identity. Personal and collective identity is at the core of a lot of great art. Who are we? Who do people think we are? Who are you? Who are they? What are we doing here? These are questions we’re still struggling to answer in spite of having more accumulated knowledge available to the masses than ever before in human history. The internet is allowing an entire generation to create their identities like artists painting portraits. In this way, we’re all distorted portraits.
Participating artists include Liz Adams, Oliver App, Sean Burns, CHOD (Chad Kimes), Laura Dumm, Eric Kaplan, Nathan Kemr, Billy Ludwig and more. (For the sake of full disclosure, I will have work in this show as well.)
This show is FREE and open to the public. A 21+ after party will be held at The Spitfire Saloon (1539 w.117th St.)
Check out Distorted Portraits @ Breakneck Gallery, 17020 Madison Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107. Opening Reception Sat 8/31 from 6-10pm. Additional hours through September 20th. http://breakneckgallery.com
Josh Usmani is a 27 year old local artist, curator and writer. Since 2008, his work has been featured in over 50 local and regional exhibitions.