Looking Deeply: Richard Perry’s Exploration of Gender in Relief

Experiencing one of Perry’s relief sculptures is moving in every way. The reliefs in this show, his second at the Museum, are mostly figurative and play with the viewers’ preconceptions, appearing to pop out of their frame, while in fact they are just the opposite, concave.  To fully absorb the powerful dynamic of this illusion, the viewer should first observe each relief from a distance and then move sideways while looking at the artwork. In this way the figure appears to likewise move, following the viewer across the room. Finally, if the viewer approaches closer, the illusion will suddenly dissolve to reveal the actual surface of the relief. Parallels between the varied ways one can perceive these relief sculptures and the theme of the exhibition help to give this body of work on gender exploration potency.

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