Walton Ford. Dying Words. 2005. 6 copper plates, hardground etching, aquatint, spit bite aquatint, drypoint, scraping and burnishing on white Rives paper, ed. of 75, 14" x 18"
http://trends-in-details.com/blog/art/58.html

David Wojnarowicz. Untitled (One day this kid…). 1990.

Artist explore the construction of identity and identification

Question what is accepted as "normal," who decides normalcy,
and how the indidual navigates that definition

Nan Goldin. Cookie and Vittorio's Wedding. 1986.
http://visualarts.slowcentury.com/

Nan Goldin. Cookie at Vittorio's Casket. 1989.
Grosenick, Uta ed. Women Artists in the 20th and 21st Century. Taschen, Koln. 2005.

Kara Walker. You Do .  1997.
http://renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Images.
51.0.0.0.0.html?image=669

Josephine Baker performing the Danse Sauvage in 1927
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Baker_Banana_2.jpg

Betye Saar. The Liberation of Aunt Jemima.  1972.
Butler, Cornelia.  WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution.  Los Angeles: The Museum of Contemporary Art, 2007.

In 1997, at the age of 28, Walker became one of the youngest recipients of the MacArthur Genius Award

Kara Walker's work is "sort of revolting and negative and a form of betrayal to the slaves, particularly women and children; that is that it was basically for the amusement and the investment of the white art establishment." - Betye Saar

“Needless to say, it is the two hundred year history of a shameful act conducted squarely within our consciousness that makes it possible for Walker to not only refuse shame but to blur the distinction between forms of shame. Even more important, Walker is aware that to speak of shame is simultaneously to speak of disgust, the overcoming of which is a prerequisite for sexual pleasure. Given the volume of shame, it is no wonder that the pleasures derived by her characters are often Sadistic in nature.” – Hamza Walker

Kara Walker. Exhibition at the Renaissance Society.  1997.
http://renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Images.51.0.0.0.0.html?image=673

Catherine Opie.  Self-Portrait/ Pervert.  1994.
http://www.regenprojects.com/files/db15e039.jpg

Catherine Opie.  Self-Portrait Nursing. 2004.
http://www.regenprojects.com/files/bec09099.jpg

Assorted definitions of "pervert" =

to lead astray morally

to turn away from the right course

to turn to an improper use; misapply

to bring to a less excellent state; vitiate; debase

Pathology. to change to what is unnatural or abnormal

Ray Buckey in court

The work is "about everybody's memories, as well as their fears." - Sally Mann

"This is the stuff of which Greek dramas are made: impatience, terror, self-discovery, self-doubt, pain, vulnerability, role-playing and a sense of immortality." - Aperture Magazine

1957 born in Guaimaro, Cuba, the third of what would eventually be four children 1964 Dad bought me a set of watercolors and gave me my first cat 1971 sent to Spain with my sister Gloria, then went to Puerto Rico to live with my uncle 1979 returned to Cuba to see my parents after an eight-year separation 1981 parents escaped Cuba during Mariel boat lift, my brother Mario and sister Mayda escaped with them 1978 met Jeff in Puerto Rico 1976 Gloria and I moved to our own apartment-small, but full of sunlight 1977 Rosa 1976 met my friend Mario 1979 moved to New York City 1980 met Luis at the beach 1983 received BFA from Pratt Institute 1981 and 1983 attended the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program 1987 received MFA from the International Center of Photography and New York University 1983 Ross at the Boybar 1985 Jeff gave me Pebbles and Biko, two Lilac Point Siamese cats-hardly able to support myself, and now with two cats to feed, only Jeff 1985 first trip to Europe, first summer with Ross 1986 summer in Venice, studied Venetian painting and architecture 1986 blue kitchen, blue flowers in Toronto - a real home for the first time in so long, so long, Ross is here 1987 Wawanaisa Lake: beavers, wild brown bears, Harry retrieved every buoy he sees, New York Times every morning, duck cabin 1986 Mother died of leukemia 1990 Myriam died 1991 Ross died of AIDS, Dad died three weeks later, a hundred small yellow envelopes of my lover's ashes-his last will 1991 Jorge stopped talking to me, I'm lost - Claudio and Miami Beach saved me 1992 Jeff died of AIDS 1990 silver ocean in San Francisco 1992 President Clinton - hope, twelve years of trickle-down economics came to an end 1990 moved to L.A. with Ross (already very sick), Harry the Dog, Biko, and Pebbles, the Ravenswood, Rossmore, golden hour, Ann and Chris by the pool, magic hour, rented a red car, money for the first time, no more waiting on tables, 'Golden Girls', great students at CalArts, Millie and Catherine, went back to Madrid after almost twenty years-sweet revenge 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall 1991 Bruno and Mary, two black cats Ross found in Toronto, came to live with me 1991 the world I knew is gone, moved the four cats, books, and a few things to a new apartment 1991 went back to L.A., hospitalized for 10 days 1990 first show with Andrea Rosen 1993 moved to 24th Street 1987 joined Group Material 1991 Julie moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan 1992 the forces of hate and ignorance are alive and well in Oregon and Colorado, among other places 1993 Sam Nunn is such a sissy, peace might be possible in the Middle East 1992 started to collect George Nelson clocks and furniture 1993 three years since Ross died, painted kitchen floor bright orange, this book

Robert Morris.  Plywood Show.  1964.
Marzona, Daniel.  Minimal Art.  Koln:  Taschen, 2004.

Felix Gonzalez torres.  Untitled (Lover Boys).  1991.

Baci = italian for "kiss"

Historic Context

Shepard Fairey. Obama Hope. 2009.

http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/design/reading_
room/39.avant_garde_graphics_from_around_the_globe.1.htm

Sensation 1997 - 99

Advertising mogul and art collector Charles Saatchi coined the phrase

YBAs = Young British Artists

Damien Hirst. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. 1991.
http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/physical-impossibility-death-mind-someone-living

The Physical Impossibility (detail)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/newsgrist/1619335594/

Commission by Charles Saatchi in 1991 for £50,000

Because the original carcass was badly preserved, in 1993 the gallery gutted the shark and stretched the skin over a fiberglass mold

Another shark was caught off Queensland (a female 25–30 years old) and eventually replaced the decayed original

2004 Saatchi sold for £7 million

platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead of the skull

Cost the artist £14 million to produce

Hirst claims he sold the skull for the asking price of £50 million ($100 million)

"Everyone in the art world knows Hirst hasn't sold the skull. It's clearly just an elaborate ruse to drum up publicity and rewrite the book value of all his other work." - Hirst critic

Jake and Dinos Chapman.  Great Deeds Against the Dead.  1994.
http://www.pixelteca.com/poramoralarte/chapman/imagenes/dead/deadg.jpg

Francisco Goya.  Great Deeds Against the Dead.  1810.
http://www.bosphorusartproject.org/new/bapq/issue1/image_turkce.html

Ron Mueck.  Dead Dad.  1996 - 97.
http://blog.artabase.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/exhi010311_rgb.jpg

Dead Dad with Viewers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86779153@N00/312414862/

Ron Mueck.  A Girl.
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2006/08/09/ronmueckAGirlMM372.jpg

Ron Mueck.  Two Women.  2005.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/avsa/72075658/

cremaster muscle in red
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Musculus_cremaster.png

Cycle repeatedly returns to period during early sexual development of the fetus when gender has not been decided, a moment of pure potential for Barney

In the first several weeks of life, the fetus has no anatomical or hormonal sex (sex can only be determined by genes)

About the 10th week, external genitalia begins to differentiate

About 15th week, first spermatognia and ovarian follicles form

28th week, testes descend out of the body cavity

Goodyear

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/barney/card1.html

Football stadium in Boise, Idaho

Uses 1930s musical film genre to explore conflicting biology of male and female

Explores the transformation of the female body

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EJkydwUUgiM/SZYsnD3_BpI/AAAAAAAAAFg/DSZ8KlDaMhw/s1600-h/1cremaster+2.jpg

Utah, Great Salt Lake and Rocky Mountains

Uses the Gothic western film genre to explore biological mirroring

Loosely based on Norman Mailer's Executioner's Song on the imprisonment and execution of Mormon serial killer Gary Gillmore

http://www.architektur.abk-stuttgart.de/georgiadis/veranst_archiv_ex.html

Guggenheim Museum and Empire State Building in New York

Uses sports cinematography to explore the race to sexual differentiation

Basing itself within the mythology of Freemasonry, the Apprentice must solve a number of challenges in order to attain a higher state of being

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5128561

The Isle of Man, and United Kingdom

Uses Chaplin-esque comedy genre to explore function and dysfunction

Explores the rush towards descension despite an internal resistance to division

Budapest and New York

Uses the melodrama of lyric opera to describe the descension as a tragic romance (between Houdini and the Opera Queen)

Explores the final determination of genre

The films were published as dvds in a series of four

The artist does not intend to ever allow a wider release

In 2007, Cremaster 2 sold at auction for $475,000

Andres Serrano.  Self Portrait Shit.  2008.
http://media.villagevoice.com/2486909.47.jpg

Andres Serrano.  SHIT (Hieronymus Bosch shit).  2008.
http://www.photoicon.com/news/283/

Yasumasa Morimura. From an Inner Dialogue with Friday Kahlo. 2009.
http://www.assemblylanguage.com/reviews/MorimuraHara.html

Yasumasa Morimura. Self Portrait/ (Actress) Red Marilyn. 1996.
http://www.shugoarts.com/en/morimura.html

Yasumasa Morimura. Che. 2007.
http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425524737/909/soluble-photography--che.html

Kate Kretz. Your Fragility. 2010.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P3xccXhPlc8/S7Su3sb83DI/AAAAAAAAClM/teEZHPNFSms/s1600/Your+Fragililty....jpg

Separation Anxiety
Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art
October 11 - November 13, 2010
curated by Denise Johnson and Rebecca Trawick

As significant numbers of women have entered the work force since the 1970s in response to shifting economic needs and the influence of the Feminist movement, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's long honored notion of the "Good Mother" and the demand that she blithely sacrifice all for the good of her children and household has been challenged and re-evaluated. But as women have demanded a place within the domestic AND public realms, conservative groups have predictably lamented the decline of "family values." Within that cry, the child has often been portrayed as endangered and lost as mothers seek to redefine their roles and obligations. While far from being resolved, such debates are symptomatic of a cultural anxiety over the state of childhood and a realization that idealistic, largely unattainable notions of the family continue to be frankly reconsidered in the 21st century.

Drawing from the curator's own efforts to balance the demands of motherhood with creative and professional endeavors, Denise Johnson and Rebecca Trawick consider how contemporary artists have explored modern parenthood under the pressures of changing economies and evolving definitions of family. Artists in the exhibition explore the often unacknowledged angst and unease that all parents, traditional or not, must navigate. Through these investigations, cultural anxieties and debates over the definition of family, parenthood and childhood are explored in surprising and interesting ways.