Mirrors
The Reflected Self
‘How do I look, what does my face tell me?’ Day for day we rely on mirrors to inform us about how we look and how we feel. The mirror is a lifelong companion with whom we usually harbour an intimate, although at times self-forgotten and distanced relationship. But what do we actually know about the mirror, its history and usage, and what do mirrors have to say about us?
This is the first time that an exhibition takes a global look at the cultural history of the mirror, stretching back thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, among the Maya of Mexico, in Japan, in Venice, as well as in the world of modern art and movies – over the ages civilizations across the globe have produced and relied on mirrors, and ascribed to them varying meanings and powers.
Curated by Albert Lutz. The chapter Self Portraits – Photographic Reflections has been curated by me.
Museum Rietberg, Zürich
im Kapitel Selbstporträts – Fotografische Spiegellungen: Laurie Andersson, Tina Bara, Ilse Bing, Marianne Brandt, Marianne Breslauer, Claude Cahun, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin, Florence Henri, Vivianne Maier, Nadia Mournier, Zanele Muholi, Helga Paris, Evelyn Richter, Tokyo Rumando, Cindy Sherman, Annelies Strba, Amalia Ulman, Hannah Villiger, Sabine Weiss, Francesca Woodman