Hannah Traore Gallery recently hosted the opening reception for Who? Me?, a group exhibition exploring the depth and resilience of contemporary self-portraiture. Participating artists and friends of the gallery gathered for an evening of celebration, admiring the exhibition and its featured works.

Curated by founder Hannah Traore, with the invaluable support of Gallery Manager Morgan Mitchell, Who? Me? assembles a bold range of self-portraits across painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media. This intimate collection of works draws on the lineage of the technique of self-portraiture and expands notions of the practice to include conceptual, sculptural, and performative forms of self-representation.

The formidable, globe-spanning roster of exhibiting artists includes Kesewa Aboah, Turiya Adkins, Bre Andy, Yagazie Emezi, Arlina Cai, Renee Cox, Camila Falquez, Alanna Fields, Samuel Fosso, Luzene Hill, Misha Japanwala, OLUSEYE, and Anya Paintsil. A majority of the works were produced specifically for this exhibition and will be presented here for the first time. Together, they reassert the self as not only image-maker, but as steward of one’s own legacy and living archive. Who? Me? honors the imperative to write one’s own myth and memory for those who choose to remain irreducible in the face of cultural erasure and imposed representation.

Image credit: Bre Johnson/BFA