Lynn DeClemente|Lori Gordon|Hope Hilton|Virginia Kleker|Megan McCready
Ashley Neese|Susan O'Malley|Daniel Purbrick|Kathryn Sclavi

Kathryn Sclavi
300 Selfish Acts
paper and ink [2005]

For Sclavi, giving is not an entirely selfless act. Giving can be entwined with expectations of receiving, not necessarily an equivalent gift, but the emotional reward of feeling better or more appreciated by others. In 300 Selfish Acts, Sclavi requests that recipients write whatever they choose in these diaries and send them back to her. The content from the returned diaries will then become source material for a future project. The front covers bear the reciprocal Latin phrase ‘Do ut Des’ or ‘I Give So That You Give.’ This statement speaks to gift giving as being both a selfish and altruistic act. Sclavi’s diaries create an exchange between herself and anonymous others. In her practice, the context allows for both artist and participants to reveal confessional and autobiographical information.

Exhibition Text: Tanya Zimbardo