Vantage Point

Lorna Simpson’s work challenges society’s ideas about race, gender, identity, and culture. She is best known for her large-format photographs. Vantage Point pairs a photo of an African mask with a photo of the artist. These images represent Simpson’s heritage and her connection to (and separation from) the continent of Africa. She presents the two images out of context. The mask is shown only from the inside (and without the full masquerade costume that defines it and gives it its power), and the artist’s back is turned to the camera so that her self-portrait is faceless. The “inside” and “out” labels below the photos invite viewers to think about the relationship between heritage and lived experience.

The two photos in Vantage Point are gelatin silver prints, which are made up of silver metal particles suspended in a gelatin layer. The gelatin silver process has been the most common way to create black-and-white photographs since the 1890s.

Simpson gained popularity for her pairing of photography and text in the late 1980s and 1990s. She also creates artwork in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, collage, and film.