Photographer Christopher Selleck’s show Body//Weight is in the final stages before installation
in the U.S. Bank Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Since he was selected almost a year
ago for the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP), Selleck has worked closely with the museum to create the show—but the work itself is a culmination of seven years of exploration on the theme of body image and the masculine figure.
The MAEP is a highly competitive juried exhibition program for mid-career artists. After each of
the three open calls per year, only one artist is selected. Nicole Soukup, Assistant Curator of
Contemporary Art and Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program Coordinator, said that beyond the quality of the work and the clarity of the proposal, it was Selleck’s authenticity and vulnerability in relation to his work that caught the attention of the panel.
Body//Weight will feature self-portraits, video, sculpture, and portrait photography. The portraits depict male sitters in academic or traditional physique poses, through which Selleck explores the posturing and rhetoric of the world of competitive bodybuilding and the portrayal of the ideal masculine figure more broadly.
Describing some of the personal context of the show, Soukup said that Selleck grew up at a
time when masculinity was more rigidly defined according to a few archetypes: the family man,
the athlete, the funny guy. “You were either Tim Allen or you were Dawson’s Creek—and even
Dawson’s Creek was considered radical because Dawson cried!”
An idealized version of masculinity threads throughout the history of photography as well. But
Selleck’s work seeks to depict men as they are, bringing more vulnerability into the image. He
worked collaboratively with each of his models, listening to their stories and getting to know
them. “Selleck is incredibly empathetic,” said Soukup. “His photographs speak volumes. They
begin to express the multitudes of what being a man can be.”
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The MAEP is hosted in Mia’s U.S. Bank Gallery. With its 2500 square feet, 18-foot ceilings, and 70-foot walls, it can be a daunting space for an artist to fill in ten months—but it is also one of the few spaces with that kind of physical volume for mid-career artists. While it attracts many installation proposals for this reason, it is a highly flexible space capable of hosting anything from miniatures to monumental sculpture, from interactive installations to traditional two-dimensional mediums.
Selleck, whose studio is in the Thorp Building, is one of several artists from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District who have exhibited through the MAEP in recent years. Each used the space to great advantage. Leslie Barlow’s show featured paintings and video interviews of Minnesotans who identified as mixed race, multiracial, and transracial, expertly blending abstract and realist portraiture in her exploration of identity. Aaron Dysart incorporated fog machines, nylon inflatables, light, and color to showcase themes of geographic ecosystems and climate change. Alyssa Baguss created a vividly interactive and material experience that probed the way technology mediates our experience of the natural world.
Founded in 1975, the purpose of the MAEP is to display the full breadth and diversity of the State of Minnesota. It is designed for mid-career artists who haven’t yet exhibited in major museum contexts. The hope is that the program will give mid-career artists experience working within a larger, bureaucratic organization. Some participants in the program, including Pao Her, Jim Denomie, and Andrea Carlson, have gone on to build careers of national renown.
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As a former Northeaster herself, Soukup hopes artists from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District will continue to apply to the MAEP. She says application numbers are down post-pandemic, and she has seen how the rising rents and overall reduction of available studio space affect artists. But interest is picking back up, and she encourages artists to reach out with questions. Beyond artists, she hopes many in the community will come see Selleck’s show when it opens. “It will be a truly touching exhibition at a moment when we’re all collectively looking for love and comfort.”
Speaking personally of the impact Selleck’s work has had on her, Soukup adds, “As a mom of a three-year-old son, I’m encouraged to know there is growing space for whatever my son looks like and however he feels.”
Body//Weight will show in the U.S. Bank Gallery of the Minneapolis Institute of Art from March 18, 2023 to June 25, 2023. There will be an artist talk on June 1.
Article by Katherine Boyce, photos courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art