Curatorial Statement
the Gaze & the Self
The Gaze & the Self is meant as a dialogue between historical photographic portraits and contemporary paintings focusing on South Sudan. Spanning over hundred years, these selected paired works are not mere illustrations of one another. Instead, they engage in a conversation, resistance, echoing themes, and complicating established narratives. The historical photographs carry the significant weight of documented moments, faces captured in specific times, often under the unequal power dynamics of a colonial or ethnographic gaze. The accompanying contemporary paintings reclaim, reimagine, or simply stand alongside these faces, breathing interiority, agency, and self-perception back into the frame. This exhibition aims to illuminate the profound distinction between how individuals are seen and how they choose to see themselves.
A timely reflection
The urgency to create this exhibition stems from the ongoing importance of tackling self-representation and the outsider's gaze when engaging with the Global South. In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding and challenging historical perspectives, particularly those shaped by colonial narratives, remains crucial. This praxis seeks to provide a platform where self-perception can stand in direct conversation with historical documentation. It is sort of an examination of identity, power, and perception that reflects the contemporary discussions on cultural ownership and diverse storytelling.
Encouraging reflection and empathy
My hope is that virtual visitors will heightened their sense of reflection on how individuals from the Global South have been represented in colonial archives and how they define themselves. I anticipate that this experience will foster a more nuanced understanding of identity, history, and the persistent impact of external perception versus internal reality. Ultimately, I aim to spark conversations, challenge preconceptions, and cultivate empathy for the complex journeys of self-discovery and representation.