The Portrait of a Woman
Concept development · Exhibition design · Experience design · Graphic design · Visualization
The Portrait of a Woman: Photography as a Masquerade is an exhibition based on my thesis project about the development of the photography masquerade through the work of three artists and the way they used it as booth an introspection and reflection of the feminine identity.
The exhibition is a journey through the lives of three fundamental figures in the evolution of photography as a reflection of identity. The subjects of this exhibition are Virginia Oldoni known as The Countess of Castiglione, Claude Cahun, and Cindy Sherman. The content is structured chronologically and articulated via photography, videography, fashion, and text.
Their artistic experimentation yields alternative examples that not only look into and explore the undermining subversion of the portrait itself but also deals with the self-identity social issues they faced. It is through this type of photography that these three figures used disguises and masks as hiding techniques to help overcome and express the trying time in which they lived in.
The exhibition venue is the Brooklyn Museum as it is one of the most relevant institutions when it comes to starting conversations on social issues through the use of art. The Brooklyn Museum is New York’s second-largest museum and is home to 5 million works of art. The following are goals of this exhibition that resonates with the museum’s mission:
Inspire visitors to see themselves with dignity and each other with empathy, care, and respect
Contribute to the advancement of society with a commitment to true connectedness and diversity
Open and free the exchange of ideas among people of diverse beliefs, cultures, and experiences in an effort to stimulate new understandings
Expand insights into our shared humanity and promote social generosity
On the 5th and last floor of the Brooklyn Museum the visitor can find the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery is home of the 77-foot diameter dome that crisis nearly 140 feet from the floor. Adjacent to the dome and inside the MOrris a. and Meyer Schapiro Wing is the Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Gallery. A space conformed by 3 rectangular galleries. In the main gallery, there are 3 screens walls that divide the space into 4 rooms of the same size.
The idea is to create a chronological path that starts in the rotonda with a masquerade ball feel. Music will be played in the background and replicas of the dresses worn by the Countess will be displayed on mannequins. Thereupon the visitor enters the Saphiro Wing where the first gallery is dedicated to the Countess’ images. The first gallery is a very intimate space and the light is dimmed enough to protect the work on paper (10 lx). Her photographic work will be grouped by the three periods of work with Pierson, and other types of memorabilia will be displayed in the vitrines.
The next gallery is dedicated to Claude Cahun’s photographs, publications, and drawings. In this gallery, their work will be divided into groups by theme. Throughout her life, Cahun went through a physical transformation closely related to her own gender exploration.
Lastly, the three spaces dedicated to Cindy Sherman will display her work divided by her most relevant series in chronological order. From Untitled Film Stills to her Instagram selfies. In the last room, there will be a screening of the documentary Nobody’s here but me where Sherman is interviewed about her transformations for the camera.
