Fact or Fiction

Questioning the truthfulness of stories conveyed either in writing or through pictures is hardly new—disbelief is as old as communication. However, the volume of information we take in today makes it harder to identify sources so that we can evaluate what we read and see. The dissemination of altered videos presented as reportage and the sale of unauthorized versions of classic literature by online booksellers are just two examples of the way technology has exacerbated the problem. Moreover, the question of truth is increasingly being weaponized in political discourse.

Inspired by our current political landscape and the digital information age, this installation looks at how artists engage with notions of "truth." Using a range of media, the artists exhibited here investigate the nature of visual and material illusion; the creation, negation, or rewriting of established narratives; the culture of disinformation; and how artistic identity and the artist’s body act as sites for the examination of truth claims.