Family Matters, Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina

Family Matters, Portraits and experiences in family today features work from an outstanding selection of photographers, such as Nan Goldin, Hans Op de Beeck, Thomas Struth and many more. Opening 14 March and running until 20 July, the exhibition at Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina uses visuals to explores the universal notion of family.

The showcase asks audiences to stop and consider family and how the unit forces individuals to perceive themselves as part of a collective. Some contemporary artists have combined their autobiographical experiences when producing art on the subject, while others choose to work with the image of the family as an outsider to uncover anthropological or religious traditions. The practitioners involved in this exhibition use different shots and angles to reflect upon the cultural, moral, ethical and biological ties that still define and identify a family. The selected pieces also ponder on the artificial or spontaneous construction of the family and its impact on identity.

Through the work of various contemporary artists, the exhibition will spark reflections on the contradiction between the nature and the naturalness of the family, the tension between freedom and authority, the persistence of traditional iconography and moral principles opposed to the deconstruction and the ambiguities of these values. In order to encourage audience participation, the show will also provide visitors with a programme of educational activities and parallel events.

The photographers included in the exhibition are: Guy Ben-Ner, Sophie Calle, Jim Campbell, John Clang, Nan Goldin, Courtney Kessel, Ottonella Mocellin+Nicola Pellegrini, Trish Morrissey, Hans Op de Beeck, Chrischa Oswald, Thomas Struth.

Family Matters, 14 March – 20 July, Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina (CCCS), Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, 50123 Florence, Italy.

Credits
1. Hayley Coles, June 17th 2006 © Trish Morrissey, With thanks to Impressions Gallery, Bradford UK.