Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
(United-States)
In novels, plays, and movies, the switch – one person assuming another’s identity – is a reliable comic turn. The photographic work assembled in Trading Places seems at first glance to be very playful. On closer examination, the critical edges begin to show.
Anna Palukunnathu Matthew’s mimicry is a visual reflection of her identity as an Indian emigrant to the United States: An Indian from India. She bases her imagery on archival ethnographic photographs of American Indians, images that she and her models re-enact, thereby doubling the idea of otherness.
The compelling characters encountered in Trading Places invite us to consider the social, racial, and psychological theatres of everyday life.
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew has exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Sepia International, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, Moscow; and the RISD Museum, Providence, RI. Her numerous awards include the John Gutmann Fellowship. Her work is in the collections of the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson; and the RISD Museum. It is also included in Phaidon’s BLINK, a celebration of the 100 most exciting international contemporary photographers. She is associate professor of art (photography) at the University of Rhode Island and is represented by Sepia International Inc., New York.
Liane and Danny Taran Gallery, Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts
372 Ste-Catherine West, Suite 507
514.861.9992
Trading Places. Michael Ensminger, Rafael Goldchain, Noritoshi Hirakawa, and Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
September 8, 2005 – November 13, 2005
Monday to Thursday 9:00am-9:00pm, Friday 9:00am-4:00pm, Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm.
Closing at 2:00pm October 3, 12, 17 & 24, 2005. The gallery will be closed October 4-5, 13, 18-19 & 25-26, 2005
Opening Thursday September 8, 2005, 5:00-8:30pm, Rafael Goldchain will be present