You'll Go Blind

Judging by the amount of people that take pictures of themselves with cell phones or cameras trained on their reflection in a mirror, the self-portrait is more popular than ever. Started in Northern Europe as a genre born of convenience, finance and ego, it has become a staple in art,...

By Mark Hughes

July 27, 2006

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Judging by the amount of people that take pictures of themselves with cell phones or cameras trained on their reflection in a mirror, the self-portrait is more popular than ever. Started in Northern Europe as a genre born of convenience, finance and ego, it has become a staple in art, probably because of its revealing and vulnerable nature (when studies in light, line, shape and color become a mirror into the soul), and a staple online where it remains an exercise in vanity and hooking up. Which will you find at the exhibit and reception for Love Thy Self: A Study of Self-Portraits at the Revolution Gallery? Not yourself in that typical high-perspective pouty-lipped cell phone shot; the show features sculpture, lithography, silkscreen, oil, mixed-media and photography. Works were contributed by Paige Davidson, Teresa Nasty, "Junkie," Heather Hectman, Patty Roony and others. You might also find yourself reflecting on multi-dimensional work in which artists are reflecting on themselves—creating something like a two-way mirror of contemplation and assisting in making something a little bit deeper than the one-dimensional, self-contained feedback loop you call your online profile. Love Thy Self runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Revolution Gallery, 3309 Elm St. Call 214-542-7103.
Sat., July 29, 6-11 p.m.

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