Self Evident

Jane Szabo - Self Evident

An exhibition of contemporary photography on view at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art from March 30 - April 29, 2017

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 1, 6-10pm
 

Jane Szabo’s exhibition, Self Evident, is a creative response to the study of self as she pushes the boundaries of the tradition, finding new ways to express self-identity.

Her series Sense of Self explores the artist’s struggle to maintain a rigid sense of order upon herself and her environment. The work is viewed sequentially and shows the breakdown of structure. This collapse is symbolic of the release that the burden of perfection holds and an attempt (and failure) to contain chaos. This sequence parallels her personal struggles and sense of identity. Unfortunately, this self-imposed rigid sense of order, a self that wants to grid, to sort, to map, to control, conflicts with her need to escape from such oppressive self-regulation.

In the series Reconstructing Self, Szabo merges fabrications with conceptual photography in this series of self-portraits, playfully exploring issues of identity in an ambitious juxtaposition of fashion, sculpture, installation and photography. Photographs of dresses, made from familiar objects such as dental x-rays, coffee filters and road maps, suggest a persona, and become a stand-in for the artist’s self. In both Reconstructing Self and Family Matters, Szabo assembles materials from her life, pairing objects to create a story.

Family Matters is a deep look at her relationship with family, created as her elderly parents faced a daunting move from the family home into assisted living, a series of strokes, memory loss and the decline of their cognitive abilities. Using objects gathered from the family home, Szabo creates tableaus that incorporate memory, metaphor and allegory to express the struggles, challenges, burdens and joys of her role as daughter and now care taker. For more information and images see Jane’s web site at www.janeszabophotography.com