Exhibition statement
I believe the adage that the personal is political. If celebrities can serve as blank slates that we project our deepest dreams and fears upon, politicians, particularly a charismatic presidential candidate, might function doubly so, given that their power to affect our lives is not purely illusion.
Gallery entrance view
All photos courtesy of The Paul Robeson Galleries
Year One
Installation detail
Year Two
Installation detail
Year Three
Installation detail
Year Four
Installation detail
About this series
“Beth Whitney has created a four part work which seeks to classify each of the President’s years in office. Whitney has utilized symbols drawn from a wide array of sources to represent the issues of import to Obama in the last four years, from the dollar signs representing the mechanics [of the] election campaign to symbols drawn from history to represent his involvement in health insurance reform. Each of the portraits of Obama is a palimpsest of printing, suggesting shifting dynamics and the ever-changing representation of this man in the media.”
-Curator Anonda Bell, from the “The Wicked Twins: Fame and Notoriety” catalogue essay, “15 Minutes and Counting”