Jeanne Dunning: Bodies of Work

March 12 - April 10, 1991

Jeanne Dunning: Bodies of Work presents 43 photographs questioning issues of identity, sexuality, and the interior and exterior self. Drawing from a variety of sources, Dunning’s images appear to be other than what they are: a piece of fruit resembles a human orifice; a women’s head appears to be shaped like a phallus; a human hand takes on a smooth yet lumpy intimacy. Dunning’s work stimulates an irrepressible desire to look. In her photographs of women with mustaches and the insides of nostrils, she encourages viewers to stare at what would normally be taboo. By emphasizing the crucial details or aberrations, Dunning refuses to let viewers passively indulge in female beauty.