We Will Control the Vertical

Installation view, We Will Control the Vertical, Tang Teaching Museum, 2016

Diana Al-Hadid, We Will Control the Vertical, 2009, eight color screen print on coventry rag, 30 x 22 inches, Tang Teaching Museum collection, gift of Exit Art, 2012.19.4a

Installation view, We Will Control the Vertical, Tang Teaching Museum, 2016

We Will Control the Vertical presents works that complicate notions of identity in contemporary diasporas. Diaspora- a term originally used to describe the dispersal of Jews beyond Israel- is a critical concept in cultural studies that examines the effects of globalization on communities and individuals. Because the diaspora is rooted in a relationship with a historical past, artists draw upon both traditional art-making practices as well as the global contemporary language of postmodernism. These artists show how identity is both constructed and deconstructed, fixed and fluid, projected and personal.

This exhibition is the capstone project for Emily Manges ‘16, the 2015-16 Eleanor Linder Winter ’43 Endowed Intern. This Internship is a yearlong opportunity to introduce a student to post-graduate life by providing academic and practical experience in one or more areas of the Tang over the course of his or her senior year. Manges spent the fall working in the Engagement Department and the spring and summer working in the Curatorial Department.

We Will Control the Vertical is curated by Emily Manges ’16, the 2015-2016 Eleanor Winter ’43 Intern and is supported by the Friends of the Tang and the Carter-Rodriguez Fund for Student-Curated Programs.