Familiar, mass-produced objects such as a pearl necklace and a jar of Miracle Whip take center stage in the photography of Afro-Cuban artist René Peña. Often presented in ways that deviate from their intended purpose, these items cast a spotlight on the deeply ingrained assumptions and biases in Western culture regarding gender expression, racial difference, and social hierarchies. A string of pearls typically signals wealth and status but when wrapped around a foot, it identifies the wearer as a social outsider and highlights the persistent nature of unspoken but commonly shared social rituals.
The photographs featured in Pointed Questions: René Peña’s Everyday Objects call attention to the values and meanings we impose on even the most commonplace objects. Their large format and bold imagery invite us to acknowledge and question these assumptions and perhaps even change the way we have been taught to see.
René de Jesús Peña González, Sin título (Without Title), de la serie Hacia Adentro, (Inward), 1992, Digital photograph on paper, Loan courtesy of the artist
René de Jesús Peña González (Cuban, b. 1957), Sin título (Without Title), de la serie Untitled Album, 2007, Digital photograph on paper, Loan courtesy of the artist
This exhibition was developed in conjunction with Afro-Cuban Legacies, an international, interdisciplinary conference examining Afro-Cuban expressive cultures since the 1960s, and was curated by Dr. Kristin Schwain, Professor of Art History, University of Missouri.
The exhibition was made possible by public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, with additional support from Museum Associates, Inc.