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Phillip Toledano: A New Kind of Beauty

Presented by Gallery 339 at Gallery 339

November 18, 2011-January 28, 2012

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From what we read and hear, it is easy to conclude that we are on the brink of dramatic and unprecedented changes to human biology. Science may soon offer the opportunity to redesign the body through synthetic organs, alterations to DNA, implanted chips, and other physical modifications. The motivation for these developments is typically posited as a hope to repair genuine problems, extend life, or upgrade functionality. Little attention is paid to the true driver behind many earlier efforts to alter ourselves—the desire to be beautiful. With his compelling and unsettling series, A New Kind of Beauty, Phillip Toledano aims squarely at the issue of where a quest for beauty can lead. Toledano observes that we already have the tools to remake our physical appearance, and many are choosing to do so. Presenting portraits of individuals who have had substantial amounts of cosmetic surgery, Toledano raises a host of interesting questions, with uncertain answers: What do we define as beauty when we can create it ourselves? When we remake ourselves, do we reveal our true character, or strip it away? Are these choices about what is beautiful rooted in timeless preferences or ephemeral cultural trends? Perhaps most interestingly, is this the vanguard of a new kind of beauty, one which we control, or merely a momentary diversion down an untaken path? Please join Gallery 339 for an opening reception and book signing with the artist.