Contemporary Portraits Explore Identity, Likeness and New Media
Portraiture Exhibition at Guilford Art Center

We might all think we know a simple definition of a portrait is: an artistic representation of a person, in which the face is predominant, and in which the intent is to display likeness, personality, and mood. However, when one tries to pinpoint an all-encompassing definition of portraiture as a genre, it becomes clear that it is nearly impossible to gather the properties of the word and achieve universal acceptance. 

The Guilford Art Center’s latest exhibition, About Face: The Relevance of Portraiture in the 21st Century, will examine new artistic avenues into this enduring genre, as a means to explore its richness and complexity.

Curated by art historian Samantha Pinckney of Guilford, About Face will be on view in the Guilford Art Center’s Mill Gallery from March 14 – April 25, 2008. Objects in the exhibition include paintings, prints, photographs, digital collages, digital animation, and work accessible only with a computer. These cutting-edge works will encourage viewers to think about portraiture in new ways, and pose provocative questions, such as: Why has the portrait remained so compelling in a society where portraits of individuals are ubiquitous? What are a viewer’s expectations concerning veracity? What is the relevancy of likeness and “inner truth,” and how do portraits inform our culture?

Artists exhibiting in About Face include painters Linda Abadjian, Beverly Strom Bluth, Margaret Zox Brown, and Fritz Drury, photographer Marie Cosindas, collage artist June Bisantz-Evans, and printmaker and activist Daniel Heyman.
 
About Face will also include an interactive component that will complement viewers’ experience of the exhibition and encourage them to create their own portraits based on traditional and contemporary techniques.

The opening reception for About Face is March 14 from 5 to 7pm. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday noon to 6, Saturday noon to 5. Admission is free. Docent-led tours can be scheduled by appointment. For more information contact the Guilford Art Center at 203-453-5947 or click here.