Gillian Wearing: Wearing Masks

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One of the most influential conceptual artists of her generation, Gillian Wearing gained recognition in the 1990s for her groundbreaking photographs and videos capturing the confessions and interactions of ordinary people she met through chance encounters. Her work, marked by candor and psychological intensity, extends the traditions of portraiture established by Sander, Weegee, and Arbus. By examining technology's role in self-presentation, Wearing has identified key aspects of contemporary visual culture, from reality television to the selfie phenomenon. This publication accompanies her first North American retrospective, tracing her practice from early Polaroids and videos to recent works, including large-scale photographic self-portraits where she embodies other artists, intimate self-portraits titled Lockdown, and public sculptures. Co-curators Jennifer Blessing and Nat Trotman provide an overview of her oeuvre, while a "self-interview" by Wearing offers insight into her artistic process, including her project Your Views (2013- ) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and her exploration of AI technology in Wearing, Gillian (2018). Associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs) after graduating from Goldsmiths College in 1990, she won the Turner Prize in 1997 and is known for her landmark piece Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say (1992-93), featuring nearly 20