Inspired by the quest of identity that occupied Rembrandt through his life, the North Carolina Museum of Art presents “Self, Observed,” the first exhibition of college student work juried by college students at the Museum. Exhibited concurrently with the Rembrandt in America exhibition, “Self, Observed” reexamines the function of portraiture and highlights the enduring influence of Rembrandt.
The exhibit was curated by students in UNC art professor elin o’Hara slavick’s class, and also includes work by UNC students. The exhibit runs from Oct. 30 to Jan. 22 in East Building, Level B of the museum.
Through the combination of photography, video, printmaking, collage, drawing, and painting, “Self-Observed” registers the formal and conceptual distances between Rembrandt and our contemporary world.
College students from across the country were invited to submit original self-portraits through the blog at http://selfobserved.tumblr.com. A group of eight students from UNC curated “Self, Observed” in collaboration with the NCMA Education Department. The group selected 41 works from over 160 submissions.
Including artists from 14 colleges across the country, “Self, Observed” is a compelling look at how individuals see themselves and the world around them, addressing subjects such as body image, humor,
discrimination, sexuality, stereotypes, achievement, alienation, and representation itself.
O’Hara slavick, who led the curatorial projects class at UNC Chapel Hill that juried “Self, Observed,” says, “Having the opportunity to work with undergraduate students to curate a museum exhibition of student work is quite remarkable. The students have gained a wealth of professional experience and knowledge-from working collaboratively and under real deadlines to writing labels and selecting the highest quality work for a dynamic show. The students should be commended for excellent curatorial and visual work.”
UNC students Zoe Litaker (undergraduate ’11) and Ashley Florence, a 2nd year MFA student, have pieces in the exhibition.
Two video submissions from UNC-Chapel Hill, from Laura Melosh and Daniela Madriz, will be shown on the LCD flat screen monitor in the gallery.
