Think of a Number

With Nadya Suleman stealing the thunder of all multiple births shy of the magic number eight, a person can reasonably wish for a simpler time in which twins were carnival attractions and a great reason for wearing matching outfits. Artists and twins Kent and Kevin Young take myths, truths, and metaphors around being twins and put them in playful social context. In 2002, the exhibit “A Monozygotic Experiment Using Telepathic Conveyance” saw them solving a crossword puzzle while sitting on opposite sides of a partition, one sending the other telepathic clues. Dressed in suits and sitting in an environment reminiscent of the most anonymous corporate office, with a wall clock and giant crossword on the wall, the setting was delightfully drab for the nearly occult undertaking, and highlighted shared consciousness as a social element rather than a family tie. Their new show, “Jury Breaks DNA Deadlock,” features collages of media images with twin or repetitive images: weight-loss before-and-after shots, pics of celebrities and impersonators, images of identity theft, and more. At the opening reception tonight, the gallery invites twins to play Milton Bradley’s 1960s–era game, Kreskin’s ESP, with the artists. Beats the pants off watching Suleman’s uninspired public duplicity.
March 27-May 2, 2009