Slightly Unbalanced

On January 26, 2010, The University of Richmond Museums opens the exhibition Slightly Unbalanced, on view through March 4, 2010, at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art. The exhibition features work by 18 nationally and internationally known contemporary artists focusing on a range of psychological tendencies, including anxiety, obsessive behavior, depression, and narcissism. In their work, the artists question what constitutes normalcy and what qualifies as neurosis, a slippery and suggestive behavior.

This exhibition encompasses a range of artistic media: video art, installations, photographs, paintings, and drawings. The term “neurotic” is used to describe people who are extremely capable of functioning, despite some emotional suffering. In choosing to focus on neurosis, these artists tap into a charged and rewarding subject that provokes curiosity, discomfort, recognition, and even identification in the viewer.

The field of psychology is well over a century old, and many of its basic concepts and terminology are embedded in our presuppositions about how human beings think and act, what drives and motivates us. Exploring the afflictions and quirks of functioning people, the artists in Slightly Unbalanced invite viewers to reconsider their own experiences and opinions, and think about cultural assumptions pertaining to mental health and human behavior. These artists also allude to all individuals’ vulnerability and fragility, inviting compassion for fellow human beings.

The artists in the exhibition include Alex Bag, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle, Beth Campbell, Harry Dodge and Stanya Kahn, Sarah Hobbs, Mike Kelley, Sean Landers, Cary Leibowitz, Dave McKenzie, Bruce Nauman, Tony Oursler, Danica Phelps, William Pope.L, Aïda Ruilova, Ward Shelley and Douglas Paulson, Cindy Sherman, and David Shrigley.

The exhibition was organized and circulated by iCI (Independent Curators International), curated by Susan Hapgood, Director of Exhibitions, iCI. Its presentation at the Harnett Museum of Art was coordinated by N. Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions, University Museums. An illustrated catalogue, published by iCI and distributed by D.A.P., accompanies the exhibition and is available for purchase. The catalogue includes a foreword by Judith Olch Richards, Executive Director, iCI, and essays by Susan Hapgood and Susan Andersen, Professor of Psychology, New York University. The exhibition, tour, and catalogue are made possible, in part, by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the iCI Advocates, the iCI Partners, Agnes Gund, Gerrit and Sydie Lansing, and Barbara and John Robinson.. Visit iCI’s website to learn more.