On the Body is a national juried exhibition selected by Ruth Erickson (Associate Curator at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston). The exhibition is comprised of 30 beautiful, original, and poignant works by 29 artists in a wide variety of media, including oil paint, photography, marble, pastel, cyanotype, bronze, video and more.

The body is a means for experience, an instrument of connection, and an outlet for expression. Several of the artworks in On the Body use the human form as a powerful mechanism of defiance towards perceptions of “normalcy”; They rebel against ageism and body shaming, and spark conversations of race and gender (Bags, Bertman, Feldman-Emison, Jamezie, Romeo, Wells). Many bare the body as both form and subject, honing in on delicate details and analyzing architectural shapes (Lyons, Marksteiner, Sobelson, Zabarsky). Some artists have bravely exposed their subject(s)’ physical and psychological spaces, prompting the viewer to explore, discover clues, and develop insight (Anderson, Ferreira, Siegelman, Thompson, Ware). Others estrange the body by duplicating or exaggerating (Bingham, Sullivan, Volinksy), elegantly hiding the form within technique or surroundings (Perez, Rosenthal), that sometimes approach the surreal (Dorgan, Du). Inspiration also hails from Classical Western antiquity, including Greco-Roman sculpture (Freeman, Morse), and the pedestal itself (Hyde). Those pieces that depict movement perfectly match the captured position’s tone to the work’s composition (Beault, Carlisle, Chung, Cseko). As a group, On the Body gives rise to humility by reflecting versions of ourselves that inspire wonder – though skin, hair, muscle and bone are the most familiar subjects of all.

Gallery 263 offers our deepest thanks and appreciation to Ruth Erickson, for her skillful eye in selecting the work for this exhibition. Ruth Erickson is Associate Curator at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. She recently opened two exhibitions at the ICA; Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957, as well as The Birthday Party,featuring Iranian artists Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Hesam Rahmanian. She is currently working on a survey of Mark Dion’s work for 2017. From 2004-2007, she was curator at BCA Center in Burlington, VT, and she received her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Pennsylvania.

Featured artists

Erin Anderson, Old Bags, Louisa Bertman, Tanmaya Bingham, Douglas Breault, Ross Carlisle, Nina Chung, Julia Cseko, Sam Dorgan, Kewei Du, Chloë Feldman Emison, Christopher Ferreria, Nicholas Freeman, Jamezie, Rook Hyde, Gray Lyons, Erica Marksteiner, Evan Morse, Veronica Perez, Steven Romeo, Karin Rosenthal, Robert Siegelman, Joel Sobelson, Brendan Sullivan, Kristine Thompson, Rebecca Volinsky, Ginger Ware, Taryn Wells, Kalman Zabarsky