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Portrayals of femininity and masculinity are, without a doubt, central to numerous art forms, with photography being no exception. The past few decades have sparked often heated discussions and criticisms of past, recent, and current photographic practices due to their lack of reflection on the assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices surrounding approaches to femininity and masculinity. Both fine art and commercial works have been critiqued for the potential consequences of their approach and presentation. Historically, femininity and masculinity have been conceived as oppositions, complements to each other, or positions on a continuum, among other perspectives. There are scarcely any ways of portraying femininity and masculinity that would not be considered trivial, conservative, pretentious, demeaning, distasteful, clichéd, or even offensive by some. It often seems that everything has been said and photographed on this subject; however, it is impossible to ignore the persistence of the theme in our contemporary visual culture. What can we still value and possibly revive from the rich history of photography? Are there any novel ways left to approach this subject with a fresh critical eye?

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Curator's choice

Laurie Toby Edison: Pat Diggs

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Honourable mentions

Pierre Aucher: Romantic Couple, from the series 'Surrealist Body'

Nicole Houff: Road Trip Barbie

Trevor Messersmith: Flight

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Exhibiting photographers

 

​Val Asuga (Minsk, Republic of Belarus), Pierre Aucher (Bordeaux, France), Anton Bou (Montreal, Canada), Brian Cann (Waldenbuch, Germany), Stefano Cherti (Rome, Italy), Karen Divine (Denver, CO, USA), Laurie Toby Edison (San Francisco, CA, USA), Jen Folsom (Nice, France), Janelle Freiman (La Jolla, CA, USA), Sari Fried-Fiori (Katy, TX, USA), László Gálos (Salgótarján, Hungary), Richard Gibson (Porto, Portugal), Kylo-Patrick Hart (Aledo, TX, USA), Anna Hartman Ksycinska (Rzeszów, Poland), Nathan Holder (Champaign, IL, USA), Nicole Houff (Minneapolis, MN, USA), Jaclyn Jeannine Iskow (Detroit, MI, USA), Margrieta Jeltema (Bolsena, Italy), John Kosmer (Fly Creek, N, USA), Lou Liska (Guntramsdorf, Austria), Richard Luxton (Bristol, UK), Trevor Messersmith (Poughkeepsie, NY, USA), Robert Morrissey (Portland, OR, USA), Paulina Olszak (Poznań, Poland), Stelvio Peti (Rome, Italy), Anelyn Rădulescu (Bucharest, Romania), Russ Rowland (New York, NY, USA), Karen Safer (Playa del Rey, CA, USA), Les Schmidt (New Orleans, LA, USA), Jill Sutherland (Topanga, CA, USA), Scott Weingarten (New York, NY, USA), Robert Wood (Austin, TX, USA), Root Yarden (Upper Galilee, Israel)

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Please click on the names to see contact information (website or e-mail) where available.

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