Face of Our Time

Four Shows — Yto Barrada, Guy Tillim, Judith Joy Ross, Leo Rubinfien

Face of Our Time

Leo Rubinfien, At the Empire State Building, New York, from the series Wounded Cities; courtesy Robert Mann Gallery; © Leo Rubinfien

Face of Our Time

Yto Barrada, Hole in the fence, Tangier, 2003; courtesy Galerie Polaris; © Yto Barrada

Face of Our Time

Guy Tillim, Supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba mock President Kabila, calling him an egg seller, 2006; courtesy Michael Stevenson Gallery; SFMOMA Accessions Committee Fund; © Guy Tillim

Face of Our Time

Judith Joy Ross, Addison Bross, Protesting the U.S. War in Iraq, Allentown, Pennsylvania, from the series Protest the War, 2006; courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery; purchase through a gift of Helen and Richard Spalding; © Judith Joy Ross

Face of Our Time

Leo Rubinfien, Off the Diagonal, Buenos Aires, from the series Wounded Cities; courtesy Robert Mann Gallery; © Leo Rubinfien

Face of Our Time

Yto Barrada, Field of Irises, Tangier, 2007; courtesy Galerie Polaris; © Yto Barrada

January 31 - April 26, 2009

Face of Our Time presents the work of four artists aligned for their shared interest in making pictures about the current condition of our world. Yto Barrada looks at the transformations occurring in northern Morocco as the area becomes a tourist destination and the local culture is disrupted. Guy Tillim's pictures, which focus on politics and community in a rapidly changing Africa, convey a palpable feeling of restlessness and intensity. Judith Joy Ross makes quiet but powerful portraits of Iraq war protestors in rural Pennsylvania. Leo Rubinfien photographs in cities that have recently experienced terrorist attacks; more than simple documentation, his pictures evoke a sense of what it is to live in an era of terrorism, shedding light on a new vulnerability we all share.


Face of Our Time: Four Shows—Yto Barrada, Guy Tillim, Judith Joy Ross, Leo Rubinfien is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Support for the exhibition is provided by Linda and Jon Gruber.