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Photo: Susan Cole
Focus No. 37
Photo: Susan Cole

Focus No. 37

Date2004
Maker Lin Tian Miao Chinese, born 1961
Label TextThis work is part of a series in which the artist digitally altered the photograph to create an intriguing pseudo-portrait—a figure that is indistinct and gender-ambiguous, representative of a singular person and at the same time of no one in particular. The inkjet photograph is mounted on canvas. Strands of thread in the form of a long braid are stitched into the surface, creating a veil-like effect that provokes thinking about traditional categorizations of gender, individuality, and cultural stereotypes.
Object number2004.25
Photo CreditPhoto: Susan Cole
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Modern in America, July 8, 2004 - Feb. 27, 2005. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Conceal/Reveal, Dec. 20, 2014 - June 21, 2015. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Be/longing: Contemporary Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view Feb. 8, 2020 - July 11, 2021].Published ReferencesAlbertini, Claudia. "Avatars and Antiheroes A Guide to Contemporary Chinese Artists," 2008: p. 75. Upchurch, Michael. "'Conceal/Reveal' at Seattle Asian Art Museum." Seattle Times, January 2, 2015, https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/lsquoconceal-revealrsquoat-seattle-asian-art-museum/. Reproduced.
Credit LineGeneral Acquisition Fund
Dimensions55 1/8 × 66 15/16 in. (140 × 170cm)
MediumBlack-and-white photograph on vinyl with white embroidery