Gabriel Vinas: Our Likeness

“Our Likeness,” an MFA thesis by Gabriel Vinas, is the culmination of collaborative scientific research of our evolutionary past conducted by the artist at ASU and his Colleagues at the University of Adelaide, AU. Following his two peer-reviewed publications (with a third on the way) regarding the practice of hominid reconstruction, this exhibition serves as equal parts showcase of the research and as an exploration of the conceptual underpinnings motivating the practice. On show will be a selection of anatomical reconstructions, performed by Vinas, curated and displayed in a manner that embodies the ethos of transparency and scientific humility regarding what is and is not yet known that he and his team have promoted. As he argued in his recent publication, the work of restoring the appearance of our evolutionary family is a complex and still unreliable task. Given that uncertainty, in his view, museums could benefit from reassessing how they choose to display and depict our ancestors in light of how uncertain the methods for their restoration are. This exhibition is an exploration of that reassessment; one where the displays allow the many open scientific questions regarding the appearance of our common origins to take center stage.

Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 12, 5–8 p.m.

Image: Ajax, one of a series of photographs of the artist’s anatomical reconstructions.