Indirect Representations
Cristin Tierney Gallery is pleased to present Indirect Representations, a group show exploring contemporary portraiture through the rhetorical conventions of synecdoche, metonymy, and metaphor. Curated by gallery artist Joe Fig, the exhibition includes works by Janet Biggs, Ellen Carey, Adam Cvijanovic, Joe Fig, Kate Gilmore, Neil Goldberg, Nina Katchadourian, Byron Kim, Ryan McGinness, Danica Phelps, and Tim Youd. It will be on view from March 16th through April 15th, with an opening reception on Thursday, March 16th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Joe Fig and several of the artists will be present at the reception.
Derived from the field of linguistics, synecdoche, metonymy, and metaphor describe different ways words鈥攁nd by extension images and symbols鈥攃an mean something other than their literal definition. Synecdoche, for instance, refers to a person or object by the name of one of their parts; Tim Youd鈥檚 painting of his hands typing on a typewriter鈥攁 proxy for the artist at work鈥攊s a perfect example. Similarly, in Ryan McGinness鈥� RM Wigs (2008, 2009, 2011), the artist creates a set of playful stand-ins for himself using his own hair.
Metonymy establishes a relationship between two objects based on close association. In Joe Fig鈥檚 鈥減ortrait鈥� of Ryan McGinness, Fig alludes to the artist by replicating McGinness鈥� studio shelf, replete with tools and personal effects. Although it does not directly show the artist, Fig鈥檚 sculpture illustrates how seemingly banal and impersonal objects鈥攍ike McGinness鈥� copies of books on signs and symbols sandwiched between Adobe Creative Suite and Quickbooks software鈥攃an represent specific individuals.
Metaphor draws a resemblance between two disparate things without association, describing one object in terms of another. Adam Cvijanovic鈥檚 painting Portrait of the artist and his wife draws a humorous parallel between the artist, his wife, and a pair of rare and unusual birds, which stand tall and stare at the viewer with eyes full of pathos.
Grounded in an artistic practice that draws from the conventions of portraiture, Fig is uniquely positioned to mine this subject for new meaning. Whether working in photography, sculpture, painting, video, or performance, each of the artists included in Indirect Representations reveals something of the essential nature of his or her subject precisely by approaching it obliquely.
Recommended for you
Cristin Tierney Gallery is pleased to present Indirect Representations, a group show exploring contemporary portraiture through the rhetorical conventions of synecdoche, metonymy, and metaphor. Curated by gallery artist Joe Fig, the exhibition includes works by Janet Biggs, Ellen Carey, Adam Cvijanovic, Joe Fig, Kate Gilmore, Neil Goldberg, Nina Katchadourian, Byron Kim, Ryan McGinness, Danica Phelps, and Tim Youd. It will be on view from March 16th through April 15th, with an opening reception on Thursday, March 16th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Joe Fig and several of the artists will be present at the reception.
Derived from the field of linguistics, synecdoche, metonymy, and metaphor describe different ways words鈥攁nd by extension images and symbols鈥攃an mean something other than their literal definition. Synecdoche, for instance, refers to a person or object by the name of one of their parts; Tim Youd鈥檚 painting of his hands typing on a typewriter鈥攁 proxy for the artist at work鈥攊s a perfect example. Similarly, in Ryan McGinness鈥� RM Wigs (2008, 2009, 2011), the artist creates a set of playful stand-ins for himself using his own hair.
Metonymy establishes a relationship between two objects based on close association. In Joe Fig鈥檚 鈥減ortrait鈥� of Ryan McGinness, Fig alludes to the artist by replicating McGinness鈥� studio shelf, replete with tools and personal effects. Although it does not directly show the artist, Fig鈥檚 sculpture illustrates how seemingly banal and impersonal objects鈥攍ike McGinness鈥� copies of books on signs and symbols sandwiched between Adobe Creative Suite and Quickbooks software鈥攃an represent specific individuals.
Metaphor draws a resemblance between two disparate things without association, describing one object in terms of another. Adam Cvijanovic鈥檚 painting Portrait of the artist and his wife draws a humorous parallel between the artist, his wife, and a pair of rare and unusual birds, which stand tall and stare at the viewer with eyes full of pathos.
Grounded in an artistic practice that draws from the conventions of portraiture, Fig is uniquely positioned to mine this subject for new meaning. Whether working in photography, sculpture, painting, video, or performance, each of the artists included in Indirect Representations reveals something of the essential nature of his or her subject precisely by approaching it obliquely.
Contact details
