Ever since Marcel Duchamp posed for Man Ray as Rrose Sélavy, artists have used the pseudonym as a form of anonymity that allows complete freedom of expression.
Art has increasingly become a commodity and artists’ names are branded to their galleries and institutions. Name recognition as a means of branding has become an all too important aspect of art. The Pseudonym Project playfully destabilizes the viewers and challenges them to confront their own reading and evaluation of a piece of artwork without giving them
the security of knowing the names and thus, the notoriety of the artist. All of the participants — including the curator, artists and volunteers — have chosen pseudonyms in order to remain anonymous until the conclusion of the show. No one is trying to hide; instead, they are participating in a tongue-in-cheek dialogue with the viewer.
The Pseudonym Project includes emerging and established artists from the United States and abroad. These artists have been involved in many prestigious
exhibitions including ones at the New Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the New York Performa, the Tate Gallery in London, the Istanbul Biennial, The Whitney Museum in New York, The Museum of Modern Art Vienna, The Berlin Biennial, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, Galleria Massimo Their names will not be divulged until the closing reception on Saturday, October 23rd.
Curated by
Gabriel Jones as Gabriel Yozzo.
