Press - Cleveland Magazine, Rethinking Identity

Sitting on one of Star Plaza's ledges, you first notice the Asian woman glancing at you. Across the way, a Latino man stares straight forward. Walk to another vantage point: You spot a Caucasian woman brushing hair back from her eyes; an African-American man smiling into the sun.

There is actually a dialogue presented here, explains Guy-Vincent Ricketti, Cleveland gallery owner, artist and curator of Identity, a public art installation on display through Oct. 28 in the public plaza at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street. �Part of the concept of Identity was to create and reflect images of people back to themselves�We are looking at ourselves, who we want to become and who we can be.

Two-sided photo installations depicting close-up portraits of people Ricketti photographed in and around downtown rise subtly from the landscape. Four sided totems-measuring 5 1/2 inches wide and ten feet tall-are interspersed in between, adorned with more photos, as well as U.S. Census text and statistics related to the people of various races who call Cuyahoga County home.

Ricketti, who trained at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Columbus College of Art and Design, says the installation asks viewers to think about their relationships and perceptions between individuals, as well as the larger identity of the community and region.

�There�s a nice energy to it that�s powerful and subdued at once,� Ricketti says, adding it took him six months to develop and refine his idea for the mixed-media installation that went on display in late July. He plans it to be the first in a series.

In addition to the photographs, a 2 1/2 -minute supplemental video, dentity 1.0, plays at random intervals on large video screens attached to the Wyndham Hotel and Hanna Building that overlook the plaza. Ricketti says "the unscheduled viewings are a way to reinforce the idea of the role serendipity and chance play in connecting us all."

An indoor exhibit curated by Ricketti at his nearby Elevation Art gallery at 1240 Huron Road also ties into the Identity concept and is open by appointment through the end of September.

"We have the ability to reach out to the city and the global community. " Ricketti says, "Showcasing artist talent is a chance to change identity and how we are perceived by a community."

Marissa Mikolak
September 2006 Cleveland Magazine / City Life