“A rose is a rose is a rose.” Or is it? Ten years ago, MassArt graduates and identical triplets Alicia, Kelly and Sara Casilio joined forces with National Geographic photographer Cary Wolinsky to form the artistic collective, TRIIIBE. Through elaborately staged photographs, video and performance, they inventively question the supposition that things are what they seem. In companion retrospective exhibits of their magnetic, provocative work, “TRIIIBE: same difference” is an expansive multi-media exhibit at the Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM) through June 5, 2016 and the bite-sized “TRIIIBE: revisited” is at Gallery Kayafas in Boston through April 9, 2016.
“Miss, 2010” by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
Greeted by a mock dressing room filled with the actual costumes and make-up used by TRIIIBE to stage their colorful tableaus, visitors to FAM are further beckoned by two picture galleries, a video theatre and two interactive lounges. TRIIIBE invites viewer complicity, granting a multitude of peaks behind the curtain at their production process, which seems equal parts toil and fun.
”MacIntosh, 2011” from the series In Search of Eden by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
The themes underlying TRIIIBE’s art all involve identity – individual, group and societal – which should come as no surprise from identical triplets. A darkened gallery resembling a religious sanctuary, complete with pews, is devoted to their series In Search of Eden. Ten-foot high, triple arched altarpieces named after different types of apples reference the Garden of Eden, examining society’s values and vices and questioning what we revere. “MacIntosh” cunningly mocks our digitally obsessed culture, with the triplets picking apples against a dawn sky (or is it really dusk?), at once bound and propped up by trees constructed entirely from computer wires.
“Equal Opportunity, 2010” by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
In a light-filled gallery, also offering pews for contemplation, the images tackle a variety of different, but related, gender, social and political hot-button topics, with sexual and religious freedoms ranking high in TRIIIBE’s sphere of interest. “Equal Opportunity”, a shape-shifting lenticular photograph shows the triplets as pregnant women from one angle and as pregnant men from another, a devious exercise in transference. The jarring “Right To Life” shows a pregnant convict about to meet her fate in an electric chair, flanked by representatives from both the Church and State, those pledged to protect life. Since all the role players have identical faces, these sticky issues become simultaneously pointed and poignant. Curator Mary Tinti and Curatorial Fellow Emily Mazzola have created a truly inviting and engaging installation at the FAM – be sure to give yourself a couple of hours to soak it all in.
“Right To Life, 2010” by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
If you can’t make it out to Fitchburg, or simply can’t get enough of TRIIIBE, Gallery Kayafas in SoWa is hosting a small and amply rewarding show. In addition to a few smaller versions of the enormous altars and other images at FAM, Gallery Kayafas is featuring an extended and evolved version of “Fine” (feature image) into a series of eight additional photographs. Each image challenges both perception and presumption with identities that appear blandly similar on the surface, but are subtly and significantly different. “Unnamed”, the photograph of a tapestry woven by Kelly while recently pregnant, is a departure for TRIIIBE. Rather than picturing the triplets, it offers peaks at eyes, ears, nose, and fingers poking through the placenta-colored strands in a colorful allegory for the womb’s unknowns. Whatever the topic, TRIIIBE’s labors arouse revelation and reaction, attesting to the strength in their numbers.
“Unnamed, 2016” by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
Portfolios of all of TRIIIBE’s work can be viewed at Gallery Kayafas. For more information about their work and “TRIIIBE: revisited”, go to: http://www.gallerykayafas.com/
Fitchburg Art Museum is hosting several special programs during their exhibition of “TRIIIBE: same difference.” For more information and directions, go to: http://www.fitchburgartmuseum.org/TRIIIBE-same-difference.php
Feature Image: “Fine, 2010” by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
“Pink Lady, 2011” from the series In Search of Eden by TRIIIBE (courtesy of the artists and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).
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