Stranger

The figure is one of the most recognizable forms in art history. Throughout time, artists have used depictions of the body to confront humanity, channeling both desire and anxiety. As new technologies redefine our physical reality, the body has re-emerged as a site of urgent inquiry.

Across a wide variety of genres and forms, the nine artists in Stranger explore the body as a powerful and perplexing vessel. They create "strangers" for viewers to meet on the canvas, pedestal, or screen. Although vaguely familiar, these strangers appear as fragments, ghosts, and uncanny stand-ins. While evoking memories and dreams, they also push back, asserting personality, presence, and an autonomous place in the world.

Together, the artworks on view convey a deep sense of time. They span the past, present, and future, with references ranging over ancient relics, classical portraiture, and digital avatars. Each work, each face or body, reveals a different aspect of how we imagine and exist in the world. Collectively, they prompt us to reflect on our own physicality and our continually evolving notion of being.