Opening reception: March 22, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
From March 22 through May 5, 2013.
Miami-based artist David Rohn will present a series of 12 self-portraits of male types distilled from performance. The soldier, the country guy and the money manager, among other identifiable types, are explored in the context of traditional ‘male’ markers such as power and dominance. For Rohn, “facial expression and body language are arguably more basic, more telling, than spoken language.” He maintains that the expanded definition of femininity that began in 1960s and ’70s is incomplete until an equivalent of what we consider masculine has also taken place. Some of his characterizations reveal less apparent aspects of male-ness, such as vulnerability and weakness, as they are exhibited in varied social and professional roles.
Rohn has inhabited many roles, some subtle, some exaggerated, many offering sly commentaries on art world characters. Most recently, he received “calls” from and conversed with viewers at Scope-NY during the Armory week and Scope-Miami during ArtBasel/Miami Beach in December 2012 as Walt Whitman, inhabiting a wood crate with fish-eye lenses revealing an elaborate 19th century still-life interior. An interest in mise-en-scéne and period costume has been a focus for Rohn, in his installations, performances, videos and still photographs exhibited previously at the gallery and elsewhere.
“Using still photography to capture a moment of performance reveals what can be masked – and lost – in moving images. “This continues to challenge me as much as the prospect of bringing to life invented characters, which are always an acute response to social and personal experiences.”
Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art
158 NW 91 Street
Miami, FL 33150
305.490.6906
www.cjazzart.com
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