“Doubly So” at Center Galleries @ Knight Arts blog
Female identity is often an exercise in duality. Women are largely encouraged to present a seamless and appealing surface to the world, which can serve to mask the trials and tribulations of being subjugated to a range of indignities–from lower wages, to social discrimination, to outright human rights abuses. “Doubly So” opened March 19th and runs through April 23rd at Center Galleries (part of the College for Creative Studies campus, which received funding from Knight Arts). Organized by guest curator Samantha “Banks” Schefman of Playground Detroit, the four-person show brings together a field of strong emerging female artists, who individually and collectively present powerful imagery around the subject of double identities.
For many of these women, as is the case for young people in general, technology and social media play a major role in their interface with society and their audience–which presents another interpretation of the show’s “double” moniker. Platforms such as Instagram have enabled young women to seize the means of their own objectification, racking up masses of followers for their highly curated, highly performative web content.