In recent years, contemporary artists have often aimed their cameras at their own families, framing a subject that is undeniably charged. In compelling and diverse images by 16 artists selected by curator Ralph Rugoff, we are invited to contemplate the strong emotional and psychological ties that connect these artists to their relatives and partners, as well as the powerful social and economic forces that shape the family. These images of various aspects of familial life, ranging from the literal to the metaphorical in presentation, invite the viewer into the private inner sanctum of the home. Artists such as Zhang Huan, Yasser Aggour and Lyle Ashton Harris explore and manipulate the age-old concept of the ‘family portrait,’ while Janine Antoni and Annee Olofsson reflect on the importance of individual identity in regards to parent-child relationships.
Texts by: Ralph Rugoff; short story by Lynne Tillman
Featured artists: Yasser Aggour, Darren Almond, Janine Antoni, Richard Billingham, Miguel Calderón, Mitch Epstein, Hai Bo, Lyle Ashton Harris, Ari Marcopoulos, Malerie Marder, Jonathan Monk, Anneè Olofsson, Adrian Paci, Chris Verene, Gillian Wearing, and Zhang Huan.
Rugoff, Ralph, Shoot the Family, Independent Curators International (ICI), New York, 2006. 63 pages, 10.5 x 7.5 in., hardcover. ISBN: 9780916365738
