Who we think we are is not easily understood by most members of society, but they may have a preconceived idea of who they think we are. “Don't judge a book by its cover” is a phrase commonly preached by parents and teachers throughout our development. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't seem to have stuck with most of us. The natural tendency to already understand who someone is before they even speak is really what needs to change. Society as a whole needs to see that people come from different countries, backgrounds and class levels. The artists featured in the exhibition I am curating move away from their homes and place their nationalities in a different context. This allows them to see more clearly who they are and explore that. Of course, no one can figure it all out on their own, but with their artistic practice they are getting closer to understanding it. We are complicated human beings with deep and expansive histories, and in this day and age we are all very different from each other. No one can look at another person anymore and be even close to understanding everything. Although the beauty of identity is that it is a fixed point; something that everyone has and can reflect on. Sure, who we think we are may change a little as we get older, but more importantly we are still the same person inside throughout our lives. There are many different ways to think about identity; by class, race, gender, politics, sport, association or as something darker and less categorized. Young adults have many ways of thinking about identity and they are usually based on musical style and taste. These are classifications based primarily on the surface of who a person really is. Human beings by nature are very complex, so... middle of paper... important aspect of the Singh Twins' work, on the description card next to their work, they will not be listed separately as artists of the work. This small detail can directly cause the viewer to further question their identity in a completely different way. When I leave the gallery after seeing Hello My Name Is, my hope is that the viewer will approach meeting new people in a new way. With any luck they will be more open and aware of the fact that whatever new person they meet next will have a very deep and complex story that makes up their identity. In addition to that, hopefully they will start to question their own identity further and possibly start trying to find an answer. It can take years to truly understand our full identity, but those who have a good idea will also be more open to the deeper identity of the other people in their lives.
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