The Tufts University Art Gallery is currently showcasing Ken Gonzales−Day's photography exhibit, "Profiled," which seeks to examine contemporary racial profiling. The Los Angeles artist's work has been displayed in galleries all over the world, from The Field Museum in Chicago to the Bode Museum in Berlin. Here, he photographically juxtaposes Western and non−Western portraits to provide alternative perspectives on race relations.
A particularly striking photograph is "Untitled" (Henry Weeks, "Bust of an African Woman" and Jean−BaptistePigalle, "Bust of Mm. Adélaide Julie Mirleau de Neuville, néeGarnierd'Isle," 2011). Gonzales−Day specializes in photographing busts and sculptures. This particular lightjet print shows the profiles of two white stone sculptures staring straight at one another.
Although the figure to the left is an African woman looking at her white counterpart, there is a definite likeness in their appearances. With curled coils of hair and protruding chins, the two women look very similar despite their differing racial backgrounds. Both have an understanding gaze, raising the question of whether these two women can really relate to one another.
A second thought−provoking work, "Untitled" (Malvina Hoffman Collection, "Ubangi Woman," and Unknown, "Head of a Woman," 2011), is a lightjet mounted on aluminum.
In this photograph, the African sculpture to the left is crafted out of black wood, with the woman's lips protruding tremendously like a giant, flat duck's bill. With her lips wide open, she seems to be spilling secrets to the white stone sculpture on the right.
Because the mouth is completely broken off on the sculpture of the white woman, she is unable to speak — and forced to listen to the African woman, finally given a voice of her own. Thus, Gonzales−Day challenges the notion of white female privilege over marginalized women of color in contemporary society.
Perhaps the most notable piece in the exhibit is "Untitled" (Malvina Hoffman Collection, "Blackfoot Man" at The Field Museum, Chicago, and Jacques−François−Joseph Saly, "Faun Holding a Goat," The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2011).
This work is a lightjet print mounted on Durabond that depicts a statue of a Native American on the left and a white adolescent boy on the right. Wearing only a loincloth, the Native American stands strong and upright. Gonzales−Day beautifully employs light in this photograph to emphasize his chiseled muscular physique.
The statue of the white adolescent is also scantily clad; he is only wearing a leaf. The shadows on his body, however, are less harsh, revealing his much softer build. The young adolescent is slightly lurched back in his stance, as though he is prudently listening to the bold, assertive man standing opposite of him. The Blackfoot Man's hands are interlocked in a gesture that implies he is giving the boy an order. Gonzales−Day shows how the tables have turned — now it is the white man who is being directed and guided.
Another gem in the museum is a lightjet photograph of Voltaire mounted on aluminum, "Untitled" ("Voltaire," École des Beaux−Arts, Paris, 2011). The stone statue is highly detailed. Voltaire has a dreamy look in his eyes as he happily gazes downward, his cloak gently resting over his shoulders. Someone has drawn lipstick and a funny moustache on him, and there are scratches all over his forehead. Through this photograph, Gonzales−Day reveals the modern disrespect of the famous thinker. However, Voltaire is seemingly amused by the vandalism, which gives the sense that he's laughing at our society.
"Profiled" displays Gonzales−Day's incredible creativity. By using existing works of art, Gonzales−Day meticulously creates both opposition and dialogue that transcend time and space.
"Profiled" will be on display at the Tufts University Art Gallery in the Koppelman Gallery until Nov. 20.
