about the project.

Collective Portrait was a collaborative project in which Gary Simmons had a group of kids think of phrases that serve as their self-portraits, then write them in chalk on individual blackboards. He then asked them to partially erase the sentences. This proved to be the most difficult, yet formative moment in the process. All the boards were arranged to form a long sentence that symbolically became a collective portrait of the entire group. This sentence was finally printed as a billboard and displayed in Chelsea.

about the artist.

Gary Simmons was born in New York, NY, which is where he continues to live and work. He received his BFA from School of Visual Arts, NY and his MFA from California Institute of the Arts, CA and his currently represented by New York’s Metro Pictures Gallery. Simmons approaches his visual practice as a vehicle by which to explore the cultural experiences contingent on race and identity in contemporary society.

To learn more, visit the artist’s website.