“Epoch” Gallery 16, San Francisco, CA, 2019
Ep·och, /’epǝk/, noun: A period of time in history or a person’s life (fourteen years in the case of these artists) typically marked by notable events or particular characteristics. The long-standing friendship between Libby Black, Taravat Talepasand, and Josephine Taylor, has woven its way through many spheres of life: love, home, motherhood, work, culture, community, history, politics.What began two years ago as a correspondence via email between the artists evolved into a greater dialogue about what it means to be an artist, a feminist, a teacher and a mother. Inspired by a mutual love and respect for each other’s work, practice and careers, Epochpresents the work of these artists in dialogue together for the first time. It’s almost as if we are having a dinner party, only the art is the invited guest. When you get to a dinner party, the topics of conversation are not listed when you walk in; they happen naturally... We all have underlying themes.In a society that demands a challenging and unforgiving work/life balance - especially as active and successful artists and mothers - these artists have ‘unapologetically persisted.’ Through various methods of appropriation, reauthoring and the shifting of perspectives, Black, Talepasand and Taylor explore ideas of domesticity and the presence of women in their work. Each of themdisplays an “extraordinary level of engagement with their craft, both in terms of technical skill and their ferociously smart, sometimes sneaky way of bringing viewers face to face with uncomfortable content. Strength is a common motif—physical, mental, spiritual—in work about politics, emotions, parenting, past traumas and present day-to-day life as a woman” (Maria Porges).
