Curated from The Ringling’s photography collection, this exhibition features works by photographers who examine the complexities of identity and the staging of selfhood. Consisting primarily of self-portraits and portraits of empowered subjects, these works explore personal agency at the intersection of politics and the female body. Many of the artists in the exhibition are recognized as leading voices in contemporary art and offer diverse perspectives on issues surrounding power, sexuality, and self-representation. Each photograph presents a unique invitation to renew the dialogue on the authority of the gaze in the twentieth-first century.

Being Seen also includes numerous works by significant women photographers from the twentieth century, added to the collection in recent years. This exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore themes of agency, visibility, and gender through the lens of a broader historical context.

Image: Zanele Muholi (South African, born 1972), Misiwe IV, Bijlmer, Amsterdam from the series Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, 2017. © Zanele Muholi.

Paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Sponsor support was provided by Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Herald Tribune Media Group.