This exhibit examines a binary stream of consciousness present in portrait photography. When confronted with the cliché of a smiling subject or a subject’s attempt at a solemn gesture, the politics of portraiture calls into question the veracity of the photographer’s intent as well as the subject’s locus of control.

This exhibition is curated by Dr. Giraud Polite and includes images by photographers Dawoud Bey, Keliy Anderson-Staley and Carrie Mae Weems.