Dana Leyba's HERSTORY in alternative space

 [4 Nov]

Put on by the Women and Gender Studies program, Dana Leyba's show is displayed in an unexpected area, room 237–which is technically a hallway for the offices of some faculty in the Rachel Cooper building. Not only is this an interesting space to view student work, but there is very little information available to pick up, and there is of course no receptionist to help you navigate the motivation in the show's curation. With all of this in mind, Leyba's mysterious imagery has a lot of cohesive narrative.

The above image seemed an interesting excuse for using language, even literature with the library depicted behind the subject. However, upon a search of the phrase, it became clear that this is a reference to the self-portrait photography of a Claude Cahun. An avant-garde/surrealist photographer, Cahun challenged representations of gender around the turn of the 20th century. It seems evident then that this is the artist representing herself as a woman dismantling conceptions of gender identity. The location of these works suddenly gained more weight. I looked to the little postcard with information about the exhibition and found no description to either confirm or deny the introspection of the artist.

As this prior work surprised my expectations, the triptych (seen here in two images) seemed to have another subtle reference of its own. The three-dimensional leaves that framed each figure remind me of mythic, decorative representations of some goddess in a garden. All these works in the series at first look seem to beckon different moments of activity, inactivity, or expressiveness in the artist. The uncovered woman here reveals something more primal and less reserved than the prior piece. A graphic t-shirt is a form of self-identification however obscure, and nude exposure conveys either lewd behavior, ludic introspection of the body, or even a willingness to hold a liminal place–neither one nor the other. On either end of the carefully posed center figure is the subject either turning away or toward the audience. It is almost as though following a progression of events. From left to right we could form a narrative about privacy and self, but having these images side by side with just as much material as the next keeps me from doing such. It was not until viewing the initial painting (shown at the beginning of this post) that this feeling came into clearer focus.

Having all three figures in one landscape and canvas–in even closer proximity than before–gave me the notion that Leyba's self-portraits reveal a splintered personality. In the triptych it might be different iterations of time and mood, but in this work all come together and interact directly with one another. In what world outside of painting can this exist? For one thing I could assert that the women and their bodies have become symbolic or metaphorical representations, coexisting so as to question further how gender is constructed and performed. The only other conclusion I can make is that these women are related biologically and not conceptually. Their eye shadow and shirts/dresses make me wonder at their relationship. Whether or not these women are related in a social, biological or imagined sense, Leyba does well to make subtle gesture, pose and form from painting tradition permeate into her interests. The presentation might be oversimplified, but the series as a whole speaks volumes without the expected summary of works. A risky move that I would love to see taken more often.