Panya Clark Espinal

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, installation view

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, installation view

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (magazine stand and replica of woman’s back)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail
(magazine stand and replica of woman’s back)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (wax replica of woman's back)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail
(wax replica of woman's back)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (projection on fabric screen)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (projection on fabric screen)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (fabric screen)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991, detail (fabric screen)

Patterns of Commitment, 1991

Installation

mixed media; approx 30 x 60 feet

Patterns of Commitment is based on the photograph of a Nuba woman found in National Geographic magazine. Shot from behind and cropped at the head, the original image only displayed her backside, focusing on the scarified pattern across the skin. A typical anthropological text accompanied the photograph, which further served to objectify the woman. In this piece, Clark Espinal reproduces the original photograph in three variations: as a three-dimensional wax recreation, as an elusively shifting image on a fabric screen, and as a filtered image on the wall behind the screen. Each reproduction further emphasizes how the Nuba woman’s image is a misappropriation; a moment removed from reality and therefore emptied of its original meaning.

Patterns of Commitment is part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada.