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Social construction, the idea that categories like gender and race – even conditions, such as illness and disease – are created and perpetuated culturally and historically, has been at the center of theoretical discourse for those in and out of academia for more than two decades. Gender is one of the most fundamental ways we categorize individuals; according to Judith Butler and other scholars, it is something we perform, through actions, customs, and also through external "props," such as clothing, hairstyles, and handbags. This idea is at the heart of the brilliantly conceptualized exhibition currently on view at subdivision/groop gallery at the ARTcade.
At first glance, it is difficult to fathom that two women who are so early in their art careers created the work in In the Image of Social Construction. But on closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that Michelle Murphy and Alexis Savon's work is derived from their experiences of being young women in an American culture teeming with myths about romantic love and marriage, images of ideally beautiful women, and social constructions – such as time – which they had no hand in creating, but must categorically abide by.
The exhibition opens with
a series of drawings by Murphy, which brilliantly explore and poke fun
at cultural symbols. One colorful drawing depicts the arms, hands, torso,
and the part of the face of a red-lipsticked, white woman. On both ring
fingers she dons a wedding ring, and Murphy printed "wedding ring
on right hand," and "wedding ring on left hand" above
the corresponding hands. The woman has a red heart tattooed on her right
hand, perhaps symbolizing that the sincere love is not linked to which
hand one wears a ring.
Another drawing draws attention to the absurdity of time, as Murphy
renders an image of a digital clock and notes that she was once late
because she accidentally set her alarm for p.m., instead of a.m. The
drawings humorously address the ways cultural symbols are embedded in
our present and in our past, and how the social construction of things
like time, marriage, and – in one drawing, germs – affect
our daily lives and interactions.
Another cleverly insightful piece is Murphy's video, Dressing Up. The artist installed a camera in the dressing room of a department store and tried on two outfits, a mannish suit, complete with tie, and the ultimate symbol of upscale femininity, a stylish little black dress. As she changes into each set of clothes, Murphy poses for the camera as one normally poses in a dressing room mirror (she turns slightly, attempting to see how the garment looks on her body from various angles). However, her facial expressions and body movements are deliberate and contrived, and Murphy's acting demonstrates the ways garments aid women and men in their performances of gender. This is underscored when the artist subtly, but knowingly, grins at the camera, and ultimately the viewer of her video piece.
Equally compelling are the wearable works and photographs by Alexis Savon. Savon screens silhouettes of women that she appropriates from fashion magazines onto reconfigured or second-hand garments. Her creative genius is embodied in an apron-blouse ensemble, which is suitably located at the center of the gallery. The blouse was once a woman's slip undergarment, which has been turned upside-down so that the lacy bra cup parts of the slip are made into pockets at the waist of the blouse. The skirt part of the slip becomes the back, and the excess fabric drapes, creating a lovely, flowing swag of fabric. The blouse is not entirely elegant, however. It is sewn together by hand with red thread, which adds a deliberately clumsy quality to the piece. It is paired with a brightly colored floral apron, which has the silhouette of a woman in a powerful stance, accompanied by two large dogs, screened at crotch level. Savon smartly placed the image, drawing viewers' eyes to a site of sexual difference and to a place of potential encroachment, violation, and vulnerability. The outline of the powerful woman and her two ferocious guard dogs de-sexualizes that corporal region, recharging it with a sense of power and control.
The groop space has been
on shaky ground for about a year; last September the art collective's
collaborators Abe Olvido and Mike Moritz announced that they were closing
their ARTcade gallery. However, Colonial Arcade landlords continued
to make the space available to the dynamic art duo. If Olvido and Moritz
continue to produce exhibitions like In the Image of Social Construction,
let's hope that their current endeavor, subdivision/groop gallery, continues
to thrive.