Dress Up, Dress Down

Is a group show successful if only a handful of the artists succeed in the exhibit's intent? Sometimes, yes. Sean Kelly gallery's "Role Exchange" features 27 artists whose selected pieces explore identity switching, borrowing, and co-opting. Too many of these photographs and videos, however, are just an excuse to play dress-up. Too much camp and playacting and not enough assimilation and blurring of roles. Nevertheless, there are some standout works, which make the show worth checking out. Both Duane Michals' "Return of the Prodigal Son" and Michel Journiac's "Hommage a Freud" go a little deeper in the role exchange theme and explore it with more emotion and less Costume 101 superficiality, like the photo of Warhol in drag. (Images via Collection.fraclorraine.org, Phomul.canalblog.com, and Sean Kelly gallery.)