By: Lilian Nguyen
What does it mean to be seen? Not just as an idea, but as a body?
When you think about incarceration, you might think of confinement that would isolate you and limit you to restricted, routine movements.
But incarceration leaves a lasting impression on a person’s identity as well.
The Weisman Art Museum’s latest exhibition, SEEN, brings the physical reality of incarceration to life, using art to explore how it shapes identity and the struggle to reclaim one’s presence.
Emily Baxter curated the exhibit. She is the director and founder of We Are All Criminals, (WAAC), a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging society’s perceptions of what it means to be a criminal.
The artwork on display was created by inmates working with artists, activists and academics from around the Twin Cities. One gallery brings the harsh realities of incarceration to life through showcasing the emptiness of a physical cage. As well as telephones on the wall, being able to hear real messages sent to those incarcerated. Art displayed in the second gallery focuses on reality outside of the bars, when newly released inmates attempt to go back to their lives. Featuring a garden that invites viewers to reflect.
The works displayed in SEEN are interactive. The installations are designed to provoke emotion and bring attention to often-unnoticed realities.
One exhibit, Cage(d), allows visitors to experience the physical reality of a prison cell’s limited space and isolation. Standing within the confines of the cell gives a visceral understanding of what it means to be trapped within the system. The work is a collaboration between incarcerated artist Sarith Peou and Carl Flink, the artistic director of the dance company Black Label Movement.
This sense of confinement extends beyond the physical place, into the body and mind. For Peou, daily exercise is a way to cope. At regular intervals during the run of the exhibit, Black Label Movement dancer Cheng Xiong brings these movements to life, reenacting Peou’s exercise routine within the artwork in the gallery. Ultimately, SEEN is a space where art and the harsh realities of the incarcerated experience intersect; from both inside and outside the cell. The exhibit challenges us to reconsider what it means to be seen, both within and beyond the walls of incarceration.
SEEN is on view at the Weisman Art Museum, on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, through May 18, 2025.
