On being a biracial woman in America: artist Genevieve Gaignard’s self-portrait series

March is all about femmes on the move and Metro Art is delighted to share the work of artist, Genevieve Gaignard as part of the Metro Art Photo Lightbox Series, a temporary exhibition program.

This autobiographical series is an investigation of the aesthetic and cultural divide between white and black, a chasm as palpable as it is “invisible.” As a biracial woman in America, Gaignard examines notions of “passing” by placing her female body as the primary site of exploration—asking viewers to navigate the anxieties within intersectional identity. 

These artworks are on view at 7th Street/Metro Center Station.

“Photographs present a spectrum of imagined and wholly recognizable ‘selves,’ by which our outward experiences are forged and fashioned, as well as the imperfect relationship between our inner worlds and public lives.” -Genevieve Gaignard

About the Artist

GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD (b. 1981, Orange, Massachusetts), earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Master of Fine Art from Yale University. Gaignard’s work focuses on installation, sculpture and photographic self-portraiture exploring race, femininity and class. Gaignard has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the U.S., including the California African American Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Studio Museum in Harlem, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and FLAG Art Foundation. Recent solo exhibitions include Strange Fruit with Vielmetter Los Angeles (2022) and Look At Them Look At Us with Frieze Los Angeles (2020). 

View more of Gaignard’s self portraits on the Metro Art website

 

About the Photo Lightbox Series

Initiated in 2001, the Metro Art Photo Lightbox Series is a program that produces photography exhibits to engage a broad range of Metro riders on their daily commute. Lightbox displays are comprised of photographic transparencies sequentially arranged on internally illuminated boxes installed at the following Metro stations: 7th St/Metro Center Station, Hollywood/Highland Station, Universal/Studio City Station, Vermont/Beverly Station and Wilshire/Normandie Station.

 

About Metro Art

Metro Art enhances the customer experience with innovative, award-winning visual and performing arts programming that encourages ridership and connects people, sites and neighborhoods throughout LA County. A diverse range of site-specific artworks are integrated into the growing Metro system, improving the quality of transit environments and creating a sense of place.   

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