The artwork has been installed and the gallery lights are on! CEG is excited for tonight’s opening of Identify featuring five artists looking at issues of identity and classification.

We hope you can join us for Identify’s opening reception with artists Tara Bogart, Jess T. Dugan, Heather Dewey-Hagborg and Michael Itkoff. Collaborative group Garth & Pierre were unable to attend the opening, however are sending good vibes from Washington state. See you tonight, February 6th, from 5:00 – 7:00pm!

Tara Bogart’s modern hair study is a simple depiction of womanhood, as seen from behind and shirtless, allows viewers to create stories about each person based on hairstyle, shape, and body marks. Heather Dewey-Hagborg creates 3D portraits from genetic material collected in public places. The end result are portraits that speak to today’s culture of biological surveillance and has proved prophetic, as forensic science moves towards genetic profiling. Jess T. Dugan explores the power of identity through portraits of herself and others. Her work explores the nuances of sexual identification, challenging the viewers’ biases and need for categorization. Michael Itkoff sources instructional booklets of physical activities rooted in the Western ideal of body perfection. Presented as short GIF videos, his pieces capture the idealized figure flexing, dancing, stretching and gyrating. Collaborators Garth & Pierre create installations from scanned cutouts of male faces that are mounted to bank pins. The work references the historic use of photographs for scientific categorization and identification.

Identify will be on display February 7th – April 4th.