FOR JANUARY 7 –

EXHIBITION OF ARTISTS PORTRAITS, BOSTON – NO CUTS –

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BOSTON, MASS. — The Institute of Contemporary Art will present “Likeness: Portraits of Artists by Other Artists” featuring more than 50 visually striking and conceptually diverse works in a range of mediums January 19–May 1.

“Likeness” investigates the various ways artists have reimagined exactly what constitutes a portrait. Reflecting a dialogue in which the identities and status of both artist and subject are interrelated, these works reveal the intimate dramas of the art world: the private relationships that typically exist beyond public scrutiny. “Likeness” embraces a variety of approaches to portraiture made during the past three decades by a loose network of artists active in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin and elsewhere.

Through works such as Robert Mapplethorpe’s photograph of Louise Bourgeois, Elizabeth Peyton’s painting of David Hockney or Deborah Kass’ silkscreen of Cindy Sherman as Liza Minelli, the exhibition seeks to reveal the social dynamics of certain recent contemporary art milieus. In addition to conventional approaches to portraiture, the works in “Likeness” include experimental interpretations of the genre, such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ text-based 1991 portrait, which lists decisive personal events in the life of his friend Julie Ault.

The artists in the exhibition include Matthew Antezzo, Roy Arden, David Armstrong, AA Bronson, Edgar Bryan, Chuck Close, Heather Cantrell, Anne Collier, Sam Durant, Nan Goldin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Richard Hamilton, Peter Hujar, Deborah Kass, Mike Kelley, Richard Kern, Bruce La Bruce, Sean Landers, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jonathan Meese, Richard Misrach, Dave Muller, Paul Noble, Julian Opie, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince, David Robbins, Wolfgang Tillmans, James Welling and Neil Winokur.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 72-page catalog with 38 illustrations, co-published by CCA Wattis Institute and Independent Curators International. The catalog includes essays by exhibition curator Matthew Higgs, artist David Robbins and San Francisco writer Kevin Killian.

The Institute of Contemporary Art is at 955 Boylston Street. For information, 617-266-5152 or icaboston.org.

For 1/21

Slug:  ‘Beyond The Bag’ To Show At The Textile Museum

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WASHINGTON, DC — “Beyond the Bag: Textiles as Containers,” on view at The Textile Museum January 28–June 5, will explore the many ways different cultures create textiles to be used as containers.

In addition to performing the practical functions of holding, carrying and protecting everyday items, textile containers can be objects of artistic beauty and provide insight into different cultural lifestyles. Unlike bags or containers made from rigid materials such as clay or glass, textile containers offer flexibility of use by adapting to whatever item they are carrying. Often, textile containers collapse when not in use, providing the advantage of taking up minimal storage space.

Some textiles are constructed for specific purposes while others are built to address a variety of storage needs, such as Iranian salt bags, which are suitable for carrying grain, seeds, flour, fruit and nuts in addition to the salt needed for sheep in the country’s high mountain pastures.

Different cultures use textile containers according to their own storage and transportation needs. Nomadic groups use containers that are easy to adapt to their movements by functioning as containers on pack animals during periods of travel and then as storage items within tents when not traveling.

In addition to their utilitarian roles, textile containers can also convey messages of festivity, status or gender distinction. During Iranian weddings, for example, the families in a symbolic gesture sometimes exchange salt bags filled with salt. In other cultures, special bags are reserved for men who have killed a certain number of cattle or for those who participate in cultural festivities.

The Textile Museum is at 2320 S Street, Northwest. It is open Monday–Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm; admission is free. For information, 202-667-0441 or www.TextileMuseum.org.