The Space We Take brings together a selection of portraits from the ONE Archives collection across a range of media, with many of them on view for the first time. From photography to intaglio prints and oil painting to assemblage, these works speak to the human instinct to depict ourselves and others as well as the desire to see ourselves in others. The sitters or subjects likely never imagined themselves alongside their odd companions. Here, the soft gaze of an unknown female sitter, captured in an albumen print, catches a glance of leathered lawyer Owen Trainer (1993-94) in Gordon Pollock’s equestrian inspired motorcycle portrait. Eve Fowler’s young wrestler towers over Mundo Meza’s marker-on-velvet portrait of Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones (Brian, c. 1969). Laura Aguilar’s black and white Gil Cuadros portrait from 1980 is juxtaposed with Michael Hossner’s colossal abstract Paule (Anglim). Despite their differences, they all have ONE thing in common, and their home at the Archives cements their place in our history.
This show celebrates the diversity and range in artist and sitter alike and serves as a reminder of both our strength as a community and our historical longevity. As scholars Flora Dunster and Theo Gordon remind us in their 2024 publication Photography – A Queer History: “Committing a person to memory honors their presence in history and moves their image forward into the future. Photographic portraiture can allow queer subjects to appear on their own terms, a public-facing mirror of the sitter’s self-perception. This visibility can also be weaponized, exposing queer subjects to prejudice and violence. Portraiture, then, does not just open the space to be seen, but asks us to consider who accesses that space, for what reasons and to what effect…In this way, the history of queer portraiture is also a demand for care, calling us to tend to those who have been brought into representation, as well as those yet to be pictured.”
We are proud to exhibit a selection of recent donations, including paintings by James Huber and Michael Hossner by Lee Draper, prints from the Fairoaks Project by Gary Freeman and Nick Macierz, and Arthur Tress photography donated by the Vein Family. The exhibition also includes work by Eve Fowler, Amos Badertscher, Nancy Rosenblum, Laura Aguilar, Logan Beckett, Marc Geller, Simon Gad, Mundo Meza, and Ricardo Reyes, among others.
Please join us for a public opening on June 13, 2025 from 6 - 9pm. The exhibition will run through January 10, 2026. The archive is open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, please check our website for up to date information on hours. Stay tuned for more programming!
The Space We Take is made possible by USC with additional support from Doug Moreland.
The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Friday June 13th from 6-9pm. Please join us!
This exhibition is open to everyone. ONE Archives at the USC Libraries operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Participation in our programs is not restricted based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.