"Self-portraits have been a method of self-exploration since human beings first gazed at their own reflection in a pool of water. Along art history the construction of a self-portrait has been a cathartic process that reveals both new insights about artists themselves and their work."
The Self-Portraits Project is a Alicia Candiani´s original idea and ´ace's exciting venture! This four years (2006-2010) collaborative international project involves several artists and art institutions as well as geographical sites around the world. Directed by Alicia Candiani, the artist works with artists and students from diverse races, ages and latitudes. Each group produces a set of self-portraits including Alicia’s portrait who continues to develop a self-portrait in each of the places that she travels. Sessions have also co-directors, ussually an artist from the host country. In adittion, there are some guest artists who have not participated in the sessions but have been invited to join the project. Finally, this collaborative international project explores the form in which many artists want to be remembered, offering insights into their lives, surroundings, and even their political and personal concerns while addressing themes including sexual identity, the ageing process, the construction of gender and stereotypes, the importance of clothing and the significance of depicting oneself alongside other people.
This project has already taken place at the Pilar i Joan Miró Foundation in Palma de Mallorca, Spain (1st Session:September/06), the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca Campus (2nd Session: October/06) in Spain. In June 2007 the 3rd Session took place in Buenos Aires city at Proyecto´ace. This session was also co-directed by Anamaría McCarthy who traveled to Buenos Aires within the Visiting Artists Program of ´ace. The Fourth Session was at Grafikens Hus in Mariefred, Sweden on October/November 2007 and the Fifth Session took place in Atelier Presse Papier, Trois Rivieres, Canada in September 2008. The Sixth Session will be hosted by the atelier Livre and the 23 Cidade de Porto Alegre Art Festival in Porto Alegre, Brazil during July 2009.
Today, it already has more than 50 pieces, in which worldwide artists have been worked with digital media and various printmaking techniques as well as hand interventions and folded papers. Then, all the portraits will be put together creating a huge mural of diverse identities. This large installation of self-portraits will be exhibited and will travel back to each of the places in which the project took place along one year . The exhibition will explore the diversity of the image through which the artists are represented with the aim to bring artists' own images together from across races, ages, gender and places within the tradition and innovation of contemporary printmaking.
IF YOU WANT TO HOST THE SELF PORTRAIT PROJECT PLEASE SEND A MAIL TO: alicia@proyectoace.com.ar
