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Roberts Projects is pleased to present Behind Face, an exhibition bringing together works by Noah Davis, Michael Dopp, Lenz Geerk, Eberhard Havekost, Titus Kaphar, Forrest Kirk, Adam Pendleton, Celeste Rapone and Betye Saar.

When asked once about the nature of the human condition and why it is that one so often hides their truest intentions, not only from the world, but more importantly from themselves, Friedrich Nietzsche replied: "Every profound spirit needs a mask; but even more, around every profound spirit a mask is continually growing."[1] We are constantly cultivating a persona that does not necessarily correlate with our best and realest nature, yet without which, we could not truly function.

This is not unmined territory as both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have posited that the idea of selfhood is a fluid experience; Jung himself stated that "we meet ourselves time and time again in a thousand disguises on the path of life,"[2] so we may be assured of nothing except that behind one's face is another face, one which we must take the time to see and understand.

With this in mind, one might argue that the making of art is the systematic embracing of these endless faces, and that within each work exists its own vibrant and discerning identity, a face that is not so much a literal representation, but a metaphorical ideation - the pursuit of the closest equivalent to our "truest selves." Still, our truest selves may be forged in the fires of serenity, and more often than not, the face behind the face is still itself a shadow, beyond the darkening around the edges of self. Artists like Matthew Barney and Cindy Sherman have mined these territories to great effect, cherishing even the most sinister of projection. Regarding the notion of identity, Cindy Sherman has stated "I'm really just using the mirror to summon something I don't even know until I see it,"[3] which suggests that we are, and always will be, an amalgamation of shared experiences and identities, furtively revealed.

 

[1] Friederich Nietzsche, Beyond Good And Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future, section 40, translated by Walter Kaufmann; [2] Carl Jung, The Practice of Psychotherapy: Essays on the Psychology of Transference: The collective works of C.G Jung; [3] Cindy Sherman, in an interview by Betsy Berne, Studio; Cindy Sherman, Tate Magazine, issue 5, May-June 2003.

Forrest Kirk Moving The Black Power Piece, 2018 Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)

Forrest Kirk
Moving The Black Power Piece, 2018
Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas
30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)
 

Noah Davis I Own a Morandi, 2009 Oil on canvas board, collage 17.5 x 24 in (44.5 x 61.0 cm)

Noah Davis
I Own a Morandi, 2009
Oil on canvas board, collage
17.5 x 24 in (44.5 x 61.0 cm)
 

Titus Kaphar Push Yuh Own Damn Boat, 2009 Oil on cut canvas 16 x 20 in (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

Titus Kaphar
Push Yuh Own Damn Boat, 2009
Oil on cut canvas
16 x 20 in (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

Michael Dopp Turner, 2019 Gouache, ink and watercolor on paper 13 x 9 in (33.0 x 22.9 cm)

Michael Dopp
Turner, 2019
Gouache, ink and watercolor on paper
13 x 9 in (33.0 x 22.9 cm)

Betye Saar Globe Trotter, 2007 Mixed media assemblage 32.5 x 18.25 x 14.12 in (82.5 x 46.4 x 35.9 cm)

Betye Saar
Globe Trotter, 2007
Mixed media assemblage
32.5 x 18.25 x 14.12 in (82.5 x 46.4 x 35.9 cm)

Lenz Geerk Lake, 2018 Acrylic on canvas 15.75 x 11.81 (40 x 30 cm)

Lenz Geerk
Lake, 2018
Acrylic on canvas
15.75 x 11.81 (40 x 30 cm)
 

Eberhard Havekost Goin' Off, B10, 2010 Oil on linen 47.25 x 31.5 in (120 x 80 cm)

Eberhard Havekost
Goin' Off, B10, 2010
Oil on linen
47.25 x 31.5 in (120 x 80 cm)
 

Thomas  Houseago Untitled (Plaster Head on Wood), 2009 Tuf-cal, hemp, iron rebar, California redwood, graphite, charcoal 73 x 20 x 20 in (185.4 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm)

Thomas  Houseago
Untitled (Plaster Head on Wood), 2009
Tuf-cal, hemp, iron rebar, California redwood, graphite, charcoal
73 x 20 x 20 in (185.4 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm)

Forrest Kirk Mugshot, 2018 Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)

Forrest Kirk
Mugshot, 2018
Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas
30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)

Titus Kaphar White Underneath #5, 2006 Mixed media on paper 6.5 x 4.25 in  (16.5 x 10.8 cm)

Titus Kaphar
White Underneath #5, 2006
Mixed media on paper
6.5 x 4.25 in  (16.5 x 10.8 cm)

Michael Dopp T Shirt, 2019 Gouache, ink and watercolor on paper 13 x 9 in (33.0 x 22.9 cm)

Michael Dopp
T Shirt, 2019
Gouache, ink and watercolor on paper
13 x 9 in (33.0 x 22.9 cm)
 

Betye Saar Locksmith, 2018 Mixed media assemblage 14 x 11.75 x 1 in (35.6 x 29.8 x 2.5 cm)

Betye Saar
Locksmith, 2018
Mixed media assemblage
14 x 11.75 x 1 in (35.6 x 29.8 x 2.5 cm)

Forrest Kirk Girl Next Door, 2018 Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas 30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)

Forrest Kirk
Girl Next Door, 2018
Acrylic, gorilla glue on canvas
30 x 24 in (76.2 x 61.0 cm)