Born to Ruse

What constitutes a “mothering instinct,” exactly? The squishy industrialists behind baby-doll marketing have, recently, seriously upped the ante on minting minimommies out of young girls (and, surely, a boy or two) with their impressively lifelike products. At the exhibit "Reborn," Desiree Holman, an Oakland-based artist and one of four winners of SFMOMA’s 2008 SECA award, crafts her own dolls (right down to rooting the hair) and employs them in her video art, accompanied by a series of drawings. Taking an adult lady dive into the fantastical world the “babies” help create, Holman depicts various child/caretaker scenarios. Her ongoing interest in the garish and uncomfortable, and her immersion in a world simultaneously manufactured and organic, creates a compelling view of the unartistic art of being female. The exhibit runs concurrently with the SECA show at SFMOMA, where Holman’s project “The Magic Window” resides alongside works by Tauba Auerbach, Jordan Kantor, and Trevor Paglen.

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More About

• Desiree Holman
• Trevor Paglen
• Tauba Auerbach
• Jordan Kantor

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An opening reception starts at 7 p.m.
April 17-May 30, 2009