Mirror Mirror

The first mirror (likely a pool of still water) allowed humans to see themselves as others did. Later came polished surfaces: copper, bronze, silver, pyrite, even stone, though the quality of the image was so very low that Paul, in first Corinthians 13:12, used it as a symbol of obfuscation…seeing, as in a mirror, darkly. As craft improved, mirrors became aestheticized-luxurious, decorative objects–valued as much to look at as to look in. Indeed, many iconic works in the canon of Western art rely on the representation of a mirror as its central device, for the looking glass is the forerunner of the selfie, and we are all Narcissus, to one degree or another. This exhibition brings together a selection of internationally known contemporary artists inspired by the mirrors as both tool and device.