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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Lynn Hershman Leeson: Twisted

June 30 – Oct 3, 2021
235 Bowery, New York, NY 10002, USA

The artist Lynn Hershman Leeson is best known for being someone else. Between 1973 and 1978, as a performance art piece, Hershman Leeson became Roberta Breitmore. She wore wigs and makeup and bought a new wardrobe. By the end of the project, Breitmore wasn’t just a fictional alter-ego: she had her own driver’s license, apartment, dental records, and even an archive of letters from her psychiatrist. The preserved Breitmore is part of Hershman Leeson’s first solo show in New York City, a career milestone that coincides with the artist’s 80th birthday. Since the 1960s, Hershman Leeson has explored the relationship between identity and technology, first through traditional forms like drawing and painting, and then through technology itself. This exhibition moves from early work to newer video and installation pieces. —J.D.