Toni Pepe, who we previously interviewed, sent us some photographs from her new body of work titled, "The Gesture of Tradition."
“Tradition is the illusion of permanence.” – Woody Allen
The Gesture of Tradition is a series of photographs that deal with the manifestation of identity through domestic tradition and ritual, art history and the mass media. Familial and cultural history is a specific kind of narrative, one that is shrouded in reverence and subject to memory. The photograph, an object heavily involved with memory and narrative works seamlessly to convey this approach to legacy and identity.
The Gesture of Tradition is an investigation of the family tree – a physical and visual diagram of the qualities of one’s own past. I use myself as both subject and author in an attempt to simultaneously experience the gestural characteristics of my heritage, while at the same time maintaining a sense of control as narrator. I am focused on the structure of ancestry – of what has come before us and how that defines an individual. Throughout this series, I strive to implement a sense of history – a narrative beyond the frame, delicately woven into the objects, gestures, lighting, and character. Everything within the frame is considered and functions to evoke something in the viewer that is familiar, but perhaps forgotten.
The Gesture of Tradition will be on display at Stony Brook University and she will also be presenting a paper at their Philosophy and the Arts Conference. The conference will be held on Stony Brook University’s Manhattan campus (110 East 28th Street) the weekend of March 26th-27th.
Toni's panel, Recollective Generations is scheduled on Saturday, March 27th from 1:45-3:30 p.m. and the photographs will be up beginning Friday, March 26th. For more information about the conference please visit their site: www.philosophyartconference.org.
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