Genevieve Gaignard This Is America: The Unsettling Contradictions in American Identity

The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement, along with the insurrection of the Capital on January 6, 2021, have affected the way Americans relate to and communicate with one another. Genevieve Gaignard’s work addresses the inequities of racial perceptions. At first deceptive, cozy collages and heavily nostalgic-filled installation of domestic interiors and photographic portraiture draw the viewer in, belying her willingness to confront the sensitive issues of race, stereotypes, beauty standards, consumption, and identity. Gaignard picks up the deep theme of identity again in her photographs which invites the viewer to look beyond the surface and consider who the subject might really be. She strives to imbue these photographs with greater significance, inserting subtle references to the media and politics, often with a sarcastic edge.