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