Critical Review of 'Altered: Appropriation & Photography' Exhibition at Edwynn Houk Gallery

Lee Ann Norman examined the exhibition 'Altered: Appropriation & Photography' at the Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York City, which was open from May 7 to August 22, 2014. The exhibition included artists such as Sebastiaan Bremer, Lalla Essaydi, Robert Heinecken, and Vik Muniz, delving into the visual implications of photographic appropriation. Although Norman initially viewed 'appropriation' in a negative light, she recognized that the narrative voids in photography allow for viewer interpretation. Bremer's 'Eye' series (2012) abstracted portraits, while Muniz's 'Prometheo, After Titian' (2005) reinterpreted Titian's 'Tityus' with discarded materials. Essaydi's 'Les Femmes du Maroc' series (2008) echoed Orientalist art, challenging established tropes. Heinecken's pieces critiqued societal standards of beauty and gender. Ultimately, Norman posited that appropriation invites a reevaluation of visual meaning, moving beyond negativity.