ICA exhibit offers two takes on life in modern America

Contrasting interpretations of American popular culture are now on display as the latest exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The exhibit, which opened Saturday, features the photographs of David Graham and the sculptures of Nancy Davidson. Both artists attended an ICA-hosted reception for their work Friday night. Judith Tannenbaum -- the associate director and curator at the ICA who invited Graham and Davidson to open an exhibit at the gallery -- said she felt that the work of the two artists fit particularly well together. "I see a strong overlap in the emphasis on pop-culture," Tannenbaum said. "I think these two shows complement each other." Graham's collection, entitled "All American Boy," represents 22 years of the artist's travels through the U.S. He takes large color photographs, some of which are portraits and others of which are landscape images. Most of his images were taken on the backroads of small American towns and represent an often unseen side of American life. His work has been described by critics as both quirky and humorous. Graham recently published his third book, Land of the Free: What Makes America Different. A number of the images in the book of celebrity and historical impersonators appear in the exhibit. Some of his subjects are from the greater Philadelphia area and attended the gallery opening. Graham has also traveled quite a bit in Cuba with National Public Radio's Andrei Codrescu, and "All American Boy" features a video of over 60 shots from his trip. Davidson's work, entitled "Breathless," is best described by its uniqueness. She uses large weather balloons, rope, fishnet and silver lamZ to create sculptures, most of which stand over six feet tall. Though she has been exhibiting her work internationally for many years, Davidson has created, within the last seven years, all of the sculptures that appear in the show. Her sculptures have socio-political implications and challenge the stereotypes of physical beauty. Many of her sculptures represent the exaggerated breast and buttocks of a female body. Their enormous size stands in opposition to Western cultural ideal of having a thin body. "I like her work because it's brave and gutsy," Tannenbaum said. "Davidson's sculptures are both accessible and interesting."