#InYourFace: Reflections On Contemporary Portraiture
Exhibition Dates: April 23-July 19, 2019
Curatorial Statement:
This student-led art exhibition features portraiture from the University’s Art Collections. From 19th c. caricatures to the modern day concept of the selfie, viewers can enjoy a fascinating selection of art while quite literally becoming part of the exhibition.
Portraiture as an art form has a long and rich history. After several in-depth class discussions about its origins and evolution, observations about modern day forms of portraiture emerged, ultimately leading to questions about the ‘selfie’ as an artform that emerged from the traditional concepts of self-portraiture demonstrated by artists such as Da Vinci, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Andy Warhol. The #InYourFace exhibition allows the viewer to engage in these discussions, contemplating the connections between portraiture as a form of art typically shared through a traditional gallery setting and the selfie as a form of visual communication, shared via social media platforms such as Instagram.
The artworks from UND Art Collections were curated for this exhibition by the fourteen students of the 2019 Spring Honors Fine Arts Class, led by their instructor, Sarah Heitkamp. While researching and viewing the artwork, the group elected to narrow their selections to works that focused primarily on the face, creating a link between the artwork chosen and the concept of the selfie. With that curatorial picture in mind, the class invites you to add yourself to the exhibit before you leave!