Mary Coble
dal 17/5/2007 al 29/6/2007
Segnalato da
17/5/2007
Mary Coble
Conner Contemporary Art, Washington
Performance and exhibition. The artist simultaneously presents a video narrative of experiences of gays and lesbians to whom this psychiatric treatment was forcibly administered with the objective of re-conditioning their sexual orientation.
Aversion
Conner Contemporary Art is pleased to present Aversion, a new performance by
Washington, DC based Mary Coble. An installation of video and photographs of the
performance and related work will be view on through June 30, 2007.
In her opening night performance Coble will attach electrodes to herself to recreate
the severe effects of electric shock aversion therapy. The artist will
simultaneously present a video narrative of experiences of gays and lesbians to whom
this psychiatric treatment was forcibly administered with the objective of
re-conditioning their sexual orientation.
Reorientation therapy was supported by the American Psychological Association until
1973, when homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder. Patients were
subjected to repeated sessions during which they were shown a series of erotic
images. Whereas opposite-sex images elicited no negative stimulation, shock was
administered in conjunction with same-sex images.
In Aversion Coble boldly calls attention to continued social pressures toward
conformity which perpetuate the advocacy of reorientation therapy by extremist
organizations today.
Mary Coble's work is currently on view in Global Feminisms at the Brooklyn Museum of
Art, Brooklyn, New York through July 1, 2007 and was recently seen in
Passion/Provocation: photography and video in the collection of Teofilo Cohen
(Mexico City, MX) and me, myself and I: artist self portraits from the Heather and
Tony Podesta Collection (Virgina Beach, VA) .
Recent performances include: Gender Mask (becoming) at the Brooklyn Museum of Art,
Binding Ritual Daily Routine at Artist's Space, New York, NY (Performa) and Marker
at the D.U.M.B.O. Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY. Coble's work is in the collection of
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC.
There will be a live webcast of the performance, Friday, May 18th at 7:30 pm.
Performance: Friday, May 18th at 7:30
Conner Contemporary Art
1730 Connecticut Avenue - Washington