New Artists @ 23 Sandy: Barbara Ciurej and Lindsey Lochman

Barbara Ciureg and Lindsay Lochman have been collaborating on photography and publishing project since they met in art school in the 1970's. 23 Sandy is very pleased to present three of their powerful projects in gallery inventory.

The first and most thrilling: Pliant History 

From the artist statement: To expand the current discourse of power, Ciurej and Lochman requested women to “assume the pose” of Michelangelo’s imposing figures of authority – the prophets and sibyls from the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The presence of these seers and storytellers symbolically validated prevailing institutional power. Stripped of thrones, books, and robes, their contemporary counterparts confront history and embody another type of knowledge.

Printed on translucent vellum, images from the past overlay the present, creating moments of hybridity and fusion. Together, the figures transcend the binaries of male/female, past/present, strength/weakness, intellect/emotion. The structure of Pliant History allows the viewer to literally turn the page on the past, suggesting other narratives and possibilities.

The images are interwoven with excerpts from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, underscoring the inevitability of change.

Watch a video of Pliant History here.

Enjoy,

Laura