Untitled (Primary Title)
Lorna Simpson, American, born 1960 (Artist)
“I’m dealing with the language of stereotypes.” —Lorna Simpson
Simpson combines large-format Polaroid photographs with terse phrases meant to sensitize viewers to the misrepresentation and inaccuracy lurking in everyday words and images. Here Simpson disrupts the usual relationship between the observer and observed by turning her subject away from the camera. This raises a series of questions: Is the figure male or female? A corporate executive or a restaurant employee? Do the verbs (believe, possess, hold, keep, cling, faint, collapse, plunge, descend, fall) paired with the days of the week describe the figure’s mental state? Simpson underscores the ambiguity of images and language to make us reexamine out understanding of racial and sexual identity.
Lorna Simpson, Josh Baer Gallery, New York, NY
[1] Accessioned March 16, 1993. See VMFA Curatorial file.
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