The fine art of the ‘selfie’
In preparation for our March gallery show, we sat down the curator to talk about selfies and art. Join us for the opening on Saturday, March 7, 6–9pm at Wild Goose Creative.
Selfies are vain, narcissistic, and superficial, it has been said — as has also historically and frequently been said of woman-identified and femme-presenting people. The artists in this exhibition disabuse visitors of that misconstruction; they use the selfie as a tool to share their most intimate and private experiences, events, and emotions while being able to enact their agency and subvert the cis-heteronormative male gaze.
This exhibition is titled Too Much and comprises Joey Bee, Amanda Finkel, Jacs Fishburne, and Koli Meadows who are using the selfie as a way of creating self-portraiture in new ways that challenge establishmentarian attitudes in relation to the way in which non-men should present themselves to the public. We sat down with curator Joey Bee to learn more.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, as a person and as an artist/curator
I’m a dancer who received my BFA in Modern Dance Performance and Choreography. I spent 5 years in Nashville, curating punk house shows and conceptual performance art and music while also touring and dancing. After leaving Nashville, I decided to pursue her MFA from CCAD, MFA. I see myself as as a multi-disciplinary artist who utilizes all mediums to create time-based, four or three dimensional works.
Besides my own creative projects, I also enjoy curatorial work. My work in this show has a lot of traces of her own body, but I never uses other people’s bodies, it’s always myself. I tend to think that there’s not really a separation between her as a person or as an artist.
How did you come up with the idea for this show?
My work consists of snapshots from her day, some are posed, some are simply her Instagram posts. In 2016, I did my MFA research in selfies. That project led her me to explore how to turn selfies into fine art. Since people who often are critized by taking selfies are often femme people.
Joey shared with us that she used to be a cam girl. She thinks that this experience of hers resembles a time when she felt her attempt to use the internet as a platform to express herself, was limited by judgements from the outside.
Tell us a little bit about how you selected the artists/how you encountered them
I had the idea to curate something like this show in spring of 2018. I think certain shows neglect how important it is to curate themes. The three artists whose works are shown in this show are people I really trust and am familiar with their works and the messages behind their works.
Since March is also Women’s History Month, Joey wants to challenge the viewers of the show to see that on the surface, these artworks speak of one thing, but there’s more to it beneath the surface. She really hopes we can give respect to the people who are sharing their vulnerability with us.
Moreover, she wants to showcase how difficult it is to be a minority in terms of gender, race, etc. She believes we need to work together to not look past what makes us minorities, but to see the entire individual. Try to notice everything you can about a person when you meet them, not just one thing, and give them respect.
What’s next for you?
Joey is performing in April at the Short North Stage. She is planning to take a break from submitting any work so she can make more new works.
Join us for the opening on March 7th, 6–9pm at Wild Goose Creative.
