Ground Level Projects: Sheree Hovsepian
July 29 - October 18
Sheree Hovsepian, Portrait of a Young Jewish Woman (Keren), 2009, archival pigment print, courtesy of the artist
Sheree Hovsepian, Portrait of a Young Jewish Woman (Judy), 2008, archival pigment print, courtesy of the artist
Spertus Museum’s Ground Level Projects is a dynamic new initiative consisting of a series of artist commissions for Spertus’ glass-enclosed, street-level vestibule space. The project engages four artists over a year-long period, aiming to foster creative encounters that investigate, challenge, and expand traditional perceptions of the Jewish experience. The resulting projects will be visible from the street, bridging the realms of public and private space and encouraging passers-by to enter into a meaningful and thought-provoking dialogue with the works on view as well as with Spertus. The commissions will be accessioned into Spertus Museum’s collection, enhancing its growing contemporary art holdings and reflecting its innovative exhibition program.
Sheree Hovsepian’s work, Portraits of Young Jewish Women, 2008-2009 is motivated by discussions with family and friends about “Middle Eastern Envy”— the idea that Middle Eastern Americans harbor a sense of envy towards Jewish Americans in issues surrounding acculturation into American society, and further prompted by the controversy surrounding Iranian president Ahmadinejad’s appearance at Columbia University in 2007. Through this work, Hovsepian poses the question: “In today's climate, what does it mean for an Iranian American woman to photograph Jewish American women?”
Hovsepian’s work in photography and video addresses issues of representation, especially with regard to her dual Middle Eastern and American identities. She acknowledges the difficulty of developing an autonomous identity in the face of preconceived notions and feels that “as a female artist of Iranian descent, it is often imagined that I naturally inhabit a radical space. My body alone without speech is already located in the discourse of struggle.” Informed by this knowledge, she produces images that emphasize her role as the artist yet are open to interpretation.
Born in Iran and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Hovsepian has exhibited around the country and abroad, and currently lives and works in New York.
This project is supported in part by an award from the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Related programming supported by Denis Weil in memory of Jacqueline Weil-Bloch.