Contemporary artists who reenact older works of art often put a new spin on the original themes. Featuring seven photographers—Eileen Cowin, Christina Fernandez, Samuel Fosso, Yasumasa Morimura, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Gillian Wearing, and Qiu Zhijie—this exhibition explores how re-staging can highlight underrepresented stories and critique established narratives. Presented in three categories—personal history, political history, and art history—the works showcase very different approaches to engaging with the past.
1950, San Diego, California, 1995-1996, Christina Fernandez, chromogenic print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Christina Fernandez
Untitled (Martin Luther King), 2008, Samuel Fosso, gelatin silver print. Collection of Joshua R. Cammaker. © Samuel Fosso, courtesy Jean Marc Patras, Paris
Magritte, 1987, Eileen Cowin, dye diffusion print. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Gift of the Artist. © Eileen Cowin
Marriage of the Arnolfini, 1985, Eileen Cowin, dye diffusion print. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Gift of the Artist. © Eileen Cowin
Fine, 1996-1997, Qiu Zhijie, chromogenic print. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Anonymous Gift. © Qiu Zhijie
The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (Europe), 2008, Yinka Shonibare CBE, chromogenic print. Collection of Margaux Tarantino and Thomas Lesinski. © Yinka Shonibare CBE. Courtesy James Cohan, New York
Self Portrait at 17 years old, 2003, Gillian Wearing, chromogenic print. Heather Podesta Collection. © Gillian Wearing, Courtesy Maureen Paley, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; and Tanya Bonakdar, New York
Daughter of Art History, Theater A, 1989, Yasumasa Morimura, chromogenic print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Yasumasa Morimura