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Winter 1999
I'm Not Here: Constructing Identity at the Turn of the Century
The
construction of identity has been the impetus behind the creation of art
works for many centuries. During the twentieth century, social and individual
identity have arisen to the forefront of critical thought, 
arising
along with the development of psychology and theories about the unconscious.
During the last several decades, artists have interpreted identity through
works focussing on the figure, gender, memory, and absence, among other
issues. These artists have sought a "new realism" in the representation
of personhood, a "realism" that often does not include direct images of
the self, but rather, references the self via the portrayal of an object,
of another person, or of a space. As the turn of the century approaches,
the placing and creating of personal identity remains an issue of contention
for many people, and artists are at the forefront of interpreting these
issues.
Jonathan
Van Dyke, Executive Director of the Susquehanna Art Museum, and New York-based
painter Sean Mellyn have teamed up to curate I'm Not Here. The
exhibition will bring together works by fifteen artists that project personal
and social identity. Of particular interest in this exhibition is the
artist's creation of an "alter identity."
Many
of the works can be read as "displacements" of the self, be it in a male
artist's painting of a woman or in an older artist's images of children.
In
other works, an object serves as a surrogate identity. The exhibition
will address issues of loss and anomie, as well as topics such as racial
identity and sexuality. Works of diverse media and style will provide
opportunities to review commonalties and differences in contemporary artistic
vision.
The exhibition will include works by Amy Adler, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, John Ourrin, Kerry James Marshall, Robert Gober, Philip Guston, Julie Heffernan, Charles LeDray, Diane Arbus, Adam Fuss, Frank Moore, and Tony Oursler, as well as a dress by Miuccia Prada. The exhibition will be accompanied by a color pamphlet, with essays by Mellyn and Van Dyke. All questions regarding the exhibition can be directed to the Museum.