You are here: American University College of Arts & Sciences American University Museum 2015 Titus Kaphar: The Vesper Project

Titus Kaphar: The Vesper Project November 7 through December 13, 2015

Diary of a Trilogy

Titus Kaphar, The Vesper Project, 2012.
Mixed media, Dimensions variable.
Courtesy of Friedman Benda. Photography by Luke Hanscom.

Exhibition Overview

This installation is a massive sculptural statement which weaves the artist's own work into the walls of a 19th century American house. Kaphar's most ambitious expression to date, The Vesper Project is a culmination of an intense five-year engagement with the lost storylines of the Vesper family. In the artist's musings, the members of the Vesper family and their histories are intertwined with Kaphar's autobiographical details and layered with widely­ accepted cultural triggers of identity. Period architecture, gilt frames, a vintage typewriter, a neglected wardrobe and old photographs act as seemingly recognizable elements, but by employing every tool of his trade, Kaphar insinuates doubt and transports the viewer into a disrupted mental state. As the house fractures, so does the viewer's experience. This exhibition is presented as part of the AU Department of Art's Visiting Artists Program and is sponsored by the Burger Collection.

Read the Review:

The Washington Post, December 4, 2015

Bmore Art, December 2, 2015