Continuing through May 21, 2016
Be prepared to discard mundane assumptions concerning the proper subject matter and staging of portraits and autobiographies when you step into this exhibition of realities reinterpreted by Kim Abeles. Confessing to “Looking for places where strength, anger, empowerment and humor can find their union,” Abeles activates the timer on her camera, taking on the role of photographer as well as subject as she steps into scenes such as “Self portrait dying my wedding dress black” and “Self Portrait (Pope Joan). In a horseshoe shaped work titled “Personal Effects," among objects that would normally be passed on to the next generation such as the first book Abeles created or her uncle’s purple heart, the artist includes the unexpected: a urine sample from her pregnancy test and replicas of legal and financial problems, including a Welfare Department Food Stamp card. Abeles’ version of a family tree features a circle of her daughter Zoe’s baby teeth affixed to a leafy twig. A video portraying Abeles ”Ironing all the paper trash from Earth Day at the California Science Center” references an inquiry Abeles is noted for producing, addressing environmental issues
Published Courtesy of ArtSceneCal ©2016
