JESSICA THORNTON
(In)secure Identity (Dis)abled Body

Exhibition Dates: March 13-April 6, 2023

Reception: Thursday, March 16, 5:00-6:30pm

Bingham Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of mixed media works by Jessica Thornton, Professor in the MU School of Visual Studies.

How does race expose itself in our society or community? It exists in our sports, in our politics, in our schools, and entertainment.

This body of work engages with the pursuit of an authentic identity - the search for a true identity. It asks what is authentic and where is the truth and how do we know if it is, or it isn’t? What are the ways that we try to manage these identities?

Drawing from a bi-racial perspective, these images look for alternatives in stereotype and history. They work to interpret and champion the naïve and simple while attempting to control the complexities and power of an environment or situation. It is in a search for meaning and understanding of people and places, distant and past that these constructed spaces exist. And it is in this constructed other time and place that the simple things- tolerance, compassion and empathy are both misunderstood and worthy pursuits.