"...edgy, complex and marvelously crafted works... deeply compelling... " - The Seattle Times

"ÜberPortrait, with portraits by 11 artists, is a world of ideas, not just personalities." - The Stranger

Comprised of over 40 works by celebrated local, national and international artists, this unique exhibition examines the ‘portrait’  in all its facets – from individual likeness to overarching cultural identity. Working in a broad range of media such as sculpture, ceramics, photography, fiber, performance art and film, artists highlighted in ÜberPortrait share a common interest: exploring the age-old fascination with capturing a person’s likeness and/or recreating his or her identity, both as individual and collective entities.

The work of eleven artists will be featured in ÜberPortrait, each offering a contemporary perspective to the long-standing tradition of portraiture. Ah Xian’s pierced and carved porcelain busts opulently decorated with traditional polychrome Chinese designs are born out of a sense of longing for his former motherland, China. Kukuli Velarde’s terracotta self-portraits, evocative of Pre-Colombian figurines and vessels of her native Peru, raise racial, social and cultural issues informing contemporary post-colonial societies, or as she puts it “the violent encounter between the European and the indigenous world.” Kate Clark’s beasts with human faces are hybrid creatures that both attract and repulse; they echo the insecurities of our human condition, wavering between instinct and rationality. Mixed-media artist Nick Cave focuses on the connotation of materials as means to constructing narratives with his wearable sculptures. Completely concealing the wearer’s identity, the artist allows the work to transcend preconceived notions of class, race and sexuality, all elements traditionally addressed by – and intrinsic to – portraiture.

As the name suggests, the artists in ÜberPortrait go beyond the traditional boundaries and limitations of a singular portrait or representation to capture a broader sense of cultural belonging – or even cultural longing. Fraught with historical, racial, political, cultural and social associations, the artists present highly creative interpretations of portraiture and self-portraiture that reflect our many faces – objective and subjective, public and private, individual and aggregation.

Artists include: Nick Cave (IL), Kate Clark (NY), Sonya Clark (VA), John Grade (WA), Margot Quan Knight (WA), Ledelle Moe (MD), Darrel Morris (IL), Brian O’Doherty (A.K.A. Patrick Ireland; NY), Kukuli Velarde (PA), Dan Webb (WA) and Ah Xian (Australia).

ÜberPortrait is organized by Bellevue Arts Museum and curated by Stefano Catalani. Local viewing made possible in part by the City of Bellevue.