Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery is one of my favorite parts of the Smithsonian Museum complex in Washington, DC. Most people go to the museum to see the famous exhibition of Presidential portraits, but I like it because it progressively communicates American stories of identity through contemporary art, focusing on the portrait as a medium rather than format in accomplishing this.
The current installation of Portraiture Now, the museum’s changing showcase of contemporary portraiture, features an installation of works by Asian American Artists tackling the topic of identity. The artists featured come from a variety of backgrounds, and the show was well-curated to show the breadth of themes as well as individual voices of the artists and their work.
Shizu Saldamando, Carm’s Crew, 2008Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Shizu Saldamando, Cat and Carm, 2008Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Shizu Saldamando’s work was interesting in that it was multi-layered, communicating her mixed cultural background and the community with which she found her personal voice. I particularly liked how she fused contemporary notions of identity with a painting style that is traditionally Japanese. The images on her work and their contrast with the materials she uses created a very unique visual style.
Roger Shimomura, American Pikachu, 2008
Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Roger Shimomura’s work was interesting in themes and in terms of medium as well. All of his pieces were self-portraits, and he injects himself in portrayals of American and Asian stereotype situations. His style is reminiscient of traditional Japanese prints but is akin to pop-art silkscreen with its almost gaudy color temperament. His portraiture also has a sense of humor that pokes fun at an otherwise serious topic.
Zhang Chun Hong, Three Graces triptych (Bo, Ling, and Hong Zhang), 2009-2011
Image courtesy Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Zhan Chun Hong’s work stood out for me as it seemed so simple but was obviously very complex. Her large scale charcoal scrolls had singular images of women with long, dark hair. In terms of execution they were impeccable; every strand stroke of the charcoal was deliberate, but had this effortless air that made the works look as light as the subject they were portraying. There was indeed a certainty in which Hong used her medium to convey her chosen imagery and themes.
Satomi Shirai, Laundry, 2007
Image courtesy Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
At first glance I didn’t really find Satomi Shirai’s photographs particularly interesting. Most of the scenes in her work should be familiar, but the more you look at them, they are also eerie and seem surreal. The more I thought about them, the more I realized that it was perhaps part of her intention in displaying a sense of disconnectedness and confusion.
Apart from these artists, there were also other exhibitors in different media including video and photographic self-portraits. While each artist had their own unique sense of visual representation, the themes seemed to be unified – the struggle for identity is something that is part of human nature, and this struggle gives light into the complex world that forms the contemporary American cultural landscape.
Learn more about the exhibition at http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/encounter/index.html
These portraits are mind-blowing! Amazing post.