Evan Penny
Canadian, born South Africa, 1953(Old) No One - In Particular #4, Series 2, 2005
On view
Silicone, pigment, hair, fabric, and aluminum
Dimensions31 1/4 × 40 × 6 in. (79.4 × 101.6 × 15.2 cm)
Museum purchase, 2005.18
In his No One – In Particular series, Evan Penny explores the boundaries of representation. The series takes a cue from photographic headshots and our constant encounters with anonymous individuals in print media and television. This figure is a composite image derived from magazines, photographs, and the artist’s own observations. The finished product is a portrait of a person that doesn’t exist; yet it is so realistic it is hard to believe that it does not represent a specific individual. Although they are “no one in particular,” the expectations, perceptions, and interpretations of our own history create a narrative for a figure that has none.
