When: closing January 6, 2019*
Unlike the Trevor Paglen exhibit, that also has the word "unseen" in its title, I really liked this show. Two contemporary artists, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar, re-work portraits of famous Americans to highlight the existence of other, less famous, Americans, to show the full picture of American history. I was reminded of other displays I've seen recently that have done the same thing. I've thought all of these shows have been good, and I hope there are more to come.
Traditionally, portraits have been made of white, male, property-owning Americans. Think Presidents of the United States, or generals or captains of industry. You might see portraits of women or persons of color associated with these men, but those were fewer in number. Women or persons of color were very rarely depicted based on their own accomplishments. This means that museum-goers get a very one-dimensional view of history, and this show sets out to change that.
Titus Kaphar's work is a "manipulation of seemingly canonical imagery." He wraps or cuts or rolls portraits to reveal or draw attention to those beyond the "rich white male" originally highlighted. I particularly liked the one of Senator Thaddeus Stevens, partially rolled up to reveal a picture of Lydia Smith, an African-American woman with whom he lived.
Ken Gonzales-Day's work focuses on how depictions of white males make everyone else seem somehow "other" or "alien." He calls out museums, including the Smithsonian, for their collecting practices that tell only one part of the human story. It made me wonder, "Why do we emphasize the importance of skin color? Why not separate people based on height or eye color or nose size?"
In his "Erased Lynching" series, the victims are erased, leaving the bystanders as the subject of the painting. Although it seems as if this would negate the idea of emphasizing a person of color, I think it puts the emphasis where it belongs: on white people who killed so many of their fellow human beings.
Verdict: I thought this show was really good, and I hope lots of people got a chance to see it.
*Remember: if the government shutdown continues, the National Portrait Gallery, along with the rest of the Smithsonian, will close on January 1
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