opening reception: Fri. Sept. 3, 5-7p
gallery hours: Tues. 6-8p, Thurs 10a-12p, Fri 3-6p, Sat 12-3p, Sun 2:30-4:30p
Until recently, the notion that your selfie would be scraped off the internet by a private company and sold to law enforcement as a profitable mugshot would have seemed like a conspiracy theory (or at least an unlikely, worst case scenario). In early 2020, a technology company called ClearView AI scraped millions of public sites, including Facebook, YouTube, and Venmo, amassing nearly 3 billion photos for facial recognition and sold the datasets to more than 600 law enforcement agencies in the US. These artworks allow the viewer to see an emotive interpretation of FR, how the computer cuts, warps, and distorts faces. Translating these invisible actions from behind digital screens into physical, printed objects and augmented reality experiences makes the reality of online surveillance feel actual and personal. I don’t believe anyone expects their photos will be processed through facial recognition (FR) when they post online, and I think we deserve basic digital rights to protect our data from this undesired use.
Join the fight to Ban Facial Recognition: banfacialrecognition.com
Support the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project: stopspying.org
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dana Potter is an artist and educator specialized in two fields: printmaking and digital studies. Recently hired as a Professor of Interactive Digital Studies at the University of Northern Iowa, her students create digital projects to illustrate and inform public dialog. Potter maintains an active, vocal presence in the national arts and printmaking communities. In 2020 Potter received her Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Knoxville, TN. 2019 was a particularly advantageous year for Potter: she organized the first laser-cutter and printmaking specific portfolio, “The Laser-Printmaker” for the Southern Graphics Council International Conference, Dallas, TX; and attended international, inter-media art residencies at The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland, and Arts Quarter Budapest in Hungary. Recently Potter’s work has been in both national and international exhibitions “9th International Printmaking Bienal Douro,” Douro, Portugal 2018; “2017 Beyond Printmaking 5,” Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; and “Stand Out Prints 2016,” Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, MN. Recent solo shows include “Coherent Shadows”, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN, 2019; and “Public Information Only” Ewing Gallery of Art, Knoxville, TN.
https://www.danarenepotter.com/