The twenty photographers featured in Yancey Richardson's summer group exhibition, Incognito: The Hidden Self-Portrait, do exactly what I try to avoid when snapping pics for this site - "incorporate themselves into their images through shadows, reflections, body parts, an obscured face or some other discreet or surreptitious means" (from the press release). I tend to angle my shots of framed artworks or reflective pieces in desperate attempts to omit flashes of my mug and pumpkin head - hence the occasional awkward angles. Each work in Incognito "offers a glimpse at how contemporary photographers use experimentation and whimsy to engage with the long tradition of self-portraiture." Straying from the traditional straightforward self-portrait or the cheesy Face Book mirror pics (thank goodness!) the artists presented have come up with imaginative and clever ways of inserting themselves into their works—representing themselves in reflections in shop windows, a camera's viewfinder, or an eye; via shadows cast on grassy lawns or pavement; through seemingly dismembered body parts; or in obscured blurs. As the show's press release states, "the artists are present" in these Where's Waldo-like photos "though often hidden in plain sight." You'll have to look closely to find them but it's worth the effort. Learn more at Yanceyrichardson.com. Through August 27th.
Esko Mannikko, Untitled, from series Harmony Sisters
Lisa Kereszi, Thrilling, Neon Sign, Niagra Falls, Canada, 2005
Lee Friedlander, New Orleans, 1968 and Colorado, 1967
Francesca Woodman, P.059 Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island, 1976
Rachel Perry Welty, Lost in My Life, 2010
Matthew Pillsbury, Matthew Pillsbury, Alias, 9:10 pm, 2010
Bill Jacobson, New Year's Day #4550, 2003
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