community
The construct of what makes us male and female is perhaps one of the most obdurate that we as a society
face. More often than not, in our need to make comfortable our understanding of things not simply defined, we seek to classify in extremes, simplifying what should be a delightful spectrum into simplistic, unthreat- ening terms of black and white. Human sexuality is one of those multi-layered continuums not easily defined, and one we try, often imprudently, to simplify into comfortable, easily understood primary tones. Breaking down that rigidity is a part of what the exhibit Engender, at Los Angeles’ Kohn Gallery hopes
to do. As Curator Josh Freeman put it, “Gender is a deeply important topic, and one that has not been given nearly enough exposure. I wanted to create a show that could provide awareness into what gender means today. When you have something so tethered to a long history of cultural categorizations, so many assumptions occur that negate proper exposure, discussion and education on a very complex and multilay- ered component of all our lives. I wanted to provide a platform highlighting artists who are reclaiming that narrative, visually crafting languages that speak to their own unique experience and yet can very much be understood by all.”
Gender is not something that can be classified into one of two things, but is incredibly complex and layered. Every single person has their own
unique relationship with gender and how it defines their identity.”
It is no accident that the primary mode of expression is grounded in the multihued medium of paint, very much a conscious choice by Freeman. “Painting has such rich and deep lineage when it comes to the depiction of gender, so I loved the notion of specifically focusing the show on contemporary artists, who use that historical medium as a means to break away and challenge these traditional binaries. They’re looking to the past to reshape the future.” During his research for Engender, it became clear
to Freeman that the topic couldn’t be discussed properly, without showing many different voices and approaches. “Gender is not something that can be classified into one or two categories, but exists in many layers of our lives. It interacts and means different things for every single person. My hope with this show is to really capture that dimensional- ity,” he stated. “From a variety of different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, each artist was selected for their unique skills and strength in speaking to this topic. Each internalizing a number of societal projections, while asserting their own individual presence and significance.” Freeman goes on to discuss his selection process
52
RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
