SHIFTING GAZE¬
A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BLACK & HISPANIC BODY IN CONTEMPORARY ART
MARCH 21, 2020–JANUARY 3, 2021
Shifting Gaze: A Reconstruction of The Black & Hispanic Body in Contemporary Art presents a selection of works from Dr. Robert B. Feldman’s extensive collection of contemporary art. The 27 internationally regarded artists featured here create timely considerations into race and identity. The works are inspired by global art history, American history, and popular culture and present a broad range of concepts including vulnerability, beauty, and belonging. They challenge perceptions about the way society and each of us may or may not look at the “other.”
Through various media, such as painting, sculpture, drawing, and collage, the Black, Hispanic and Latinx body is subtly implied in some instances, beautifully unfolds in others, and in a few, is direct, dramatic, and heartbreaking. The symbolic framework of the Shifting Gaze helps generate a larger dialogue between the works and our current diverse physical, social, and political landscape.
The power of this collection is the result of the extraordinary vision and passionate quest of the collector Dr. Feldman who shares with us an unparalleled visual intellect fueled by his knowledge, curiosity, humanity, and a keen eye.
Shifting Gaze: A Reconstruction of The Black & Hispanic Body in Contemporary Art features works from the following artists:
Nina Chanel Abney
Farley Aguilar
Radcliffe Bailey
Yoan Capote
Nathaniel Donnett
Mark Thomas Gibson
Luis Gispert
Clotilde Jiménez
Jennie C. Jones
Samuel Levi Jones
Titus Kaphar
Nate Lewis
Kyle Meyer
Lavar Munroe
Toyin Ojih Odutola
Ebony G. Patterson
Lamar Peterson
Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz
Paul Henry Ramirez
Jamel Shabazz
Vaughn Spann
Shawn Theodore
Mickalene Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas
Carlos Vega
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
Nate Young
Shifting Gaze: A Reconstruction of The Black & Hispanic Body in Contemporary Art from the Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman was organized by the Mennello Museum of American Art and curated by Shannon Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Mennello Museum of American Art.
The exhibition presentation at Virginia MOCA is generously underwritten by the Capital Group, Meredith and Brother Rutter, and Petra Snowden. The exhibition is generously supported by the City of Orlando and Friends of The Mennello Museum of American Art. Funding is also provided by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program and United Arts of Central Florida.