Opening reception: Thursday, September 4, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Bringing together an international group of artists whose diverse practices question the reportage and representation of current events, Political Fictions starts from the position that both artists and audiences can be active participants in the production, interpretation and transformation of media culture. By creatively intervening in the flow of news photos, television broadcasts and streaming data, these artists coax familiar images into revealing latent content. The exhibition takes its name from Joan Didion's 2001 collection of essays on American politics, which focuses on how the electoral process is packaged for the public consumption. The first in an ongoing series of curated exhibitions organized by Haines Gallery executive director David Spalding. Political Fictions brings the gallery's represented artists into dialogue with established and emerging artists from outside the gallery's regular program to address shared interests and urgencies.
Political Fictions will feature Taha Belal, Kota Ezawa, Jeanne Friscia, Alfredo Jaar, Todd Lavine, and Dinh Q. Lê .