A.K.A.

Curated by Adam Eckstrom

July 2nd – August 30, 2013

Opening Reception, July 2^nd, 6:00 – 8:30PM


                    Nina Katchadourian, Crossdressed Snake, 2002, C-Print, 30 x 40 inches
                       Image: Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco

New York, June 12, 2013 – Davidson Contemporary is pleased to present A.K.A., curated by Adam Eckstrom. A.K.A. is an exhibition exploring the artist and the alter-ego, featuring work made by and about this other side that so many of us have.  

We live in the time of the Avatar, the Proxy, the Remote, and the Drone. They give us a new face, or provide us facelessness in the very public everyday world. While most of these things have strictly practical functions, their pseudonymity serves as a mask, providing the notion of personal freedom to act or create.

The art world, particularly in the US, has become preoccupied with uniformity and the idea that an artist’s work should be recognizable at a glance. Because of this, artists often feel pigeonholed, forced into one style or signature body of work, and are discouraged from creating outside that trajectory. A.K.A. explores how some artists have created other personae to circumvent this situation.

While some artists strive to be someone else, there are times when we are mistaken for another. We all have a doppelganger out there – someone with our same name, or who looks just like us. As such, the pseudonym separates that association, allowing the true self to emerge.

Including work by: Brent Birnbaum, Vikram Gandhi, Guadalupe Gonzalez, Meghan Gordon, Annie Grahm, Nina Katchadourian, Shana Moulton, Jonathan Schipper, and others.

Adam Eckstrom is one half of the artist collective Ghost of a Dream, along with his wife and partner, Lauren Was. This is the first show Eckstrom has curated at Davidson Contemporary. He lives and works in Wassaic, NY, and Brooklyn.

Davidson Contemporary’s summer hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00am - 5:30pm. For more information contact the gallery manager, Brittany LoSchiavo, at info@davidsongallery.com or at 212-759-7555