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Transforming Viewer into Voyeur

The Rug’s Topography, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Rana Young, will open January 11, 2019, at Filter Space gallery in Chicago.

“Young’s photographs employ themes of tension, voyeurism, and transition to represent interpretations of self,” writes the gallery in a statement.

In describing The Rug’s Topography, Young says, “This series began with me photographing my intimate partner of six years. Simultaneously, we were facing an internal conflict: how we identified as individuals differed from the roles we occupied in our partnership. As we began to grow apart romantically, our anxieties rose in response to the distance widening between us. Our individual identities within a romantic context stemmed from the commonality of both having witnessed predominantly cisgender roles during our formative years. Our performance of those expectations was perpetuated by inexperience and an impulse to adhere to, or in my case ‘correct,’ our potential family structure…Collaborating visually to express our reflections served as a catalyst for the reconciling of our emotional intimacy in the midst of separation. It is through the juxtaposition of gaze and gesture that we create blended self-portraits, expressing our emotions in relation to who we were and who we’ll become.”

Using a directorial approach, Young creates an environment that transforms viewer into voyeur. The singular vantage point and lack of reciprocal gaze invite one to silently observe an unfolding narrative and emphasis is placed on the threshold between public and private.

The opening reception on January 11 from 6 – 9 pm will also serve as the book launch for The Rug’s Topography, Young’s first monograph.

The Rug’s Topography
By Rana Young
Presented by Filter Photo
Filter Space gallery
January 11 – February 9, 2019
Opening reception and book launch: January 11, 6 – 9 pm
Chicago, Illinois

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