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Sepuya, Paul Mpagi

American, b. 1982

BiographyPaul Mpagi Sepuya is interested in the intimacy created during portrait sessions between the photographer and subject, and the performative nature of photographing and posing in a studio environment. Sepuya created this piece by tearing a photograph in half and taping it to a mirror’s surface. The artist then photographed himself in front of his obstructed reflection, with portions of his arms and tripod extending from the sides of the taped print. The result is a layered self-portrait of sorts, that withholds a connection to a gaze and instead plays with the power of suggestion.

Paul Mpagi Sepuya has been included in numerous exhibitions worldwide and is held in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Museum, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; Museum of Modern Art, NY; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; and Milwaukee Museum of Art, among others.