Mickalene Thomas in Orlando, Based on a Novel by Virginia Woolf: Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
The 1928 novel Orlando tells the story of a young nobleman in the age of Queen Elizabeth I who lives for centuries without ageing and has the mysterious ability to switch gender. In 1992, film-maker Sally Potter devised what has become a classic adaptation of the book with actress Tilda Swinton in the title role. Swinton is not alone in being enthralled by Woolf’s story, which still holds considerable appeal today: ‘I see Orlando as a story about the life and development of a human striving to become liberated entirely from the constructs of prescriptive gender or social norms of any kind.’
In the dual role of guest editor and curator, Swinton took up the central concerns of the novel in a special issue she devised for the magazine Aperture and in an accompanying exhibition. Her concept brings together the work of eleven artists – a combination of established contemporary positions and images by photographers who have yet to be discovered. The exhibition also includes an introduction developed by Fotomuseum Winterthur introducing the writer Virginia Woolf and film-maker Sally Potter.
The works – some of them conceived especially for the exhibition – challenge dominant power relations and structures as well as heteronormative ideas and the white male gaze. They examine the construction of identity and the representation of marginalised communities and alternative life plans. The works do not confine themselves to questions of gender; they are a celebration of creativity, openness, curiosity and the diversity of human existence. The exhibition thus plugs into current sociopolitical debates, while providing insight into a wide range of artistic approaches.
The exhibition features works by Zackary Drucker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Jamal Nxedlana, Elle Pérez, Walter Pfeiffer, Sally Potter, Viviane Sassen, Collier Schorr, Mickalene Thomas and Carmen Winant.
"On 11 October 1928, Virginia Woolf’s (1882-1941) Orlando was first published. Today, it’s recognised as one of the 20th century’s defining imaginings of queer identity. Described as “a book of radical possibilities”, it’s an exploration of time and gender – as experienced through the lens of a young nobleman during the era of Queen Elizabeth I. Orlando lives for three centuries without ageing and slips between genders, in a story which remains strikingly contemporary." - Aesthetica Magaine
A project by Aperture Foundation, New York.
Orlando is made possible, in part, with the support of Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker. Aperture also thanks ROOT STUDIOS for supporting the production of Mickalene Thomas’s work.
