Art Sites exhibition looks at the Body Altered"

What would you do if you discovered your surgical implants were no longer safe? What if lots of other women might also be facing the same risk? If you’re Candyce Brokaw of Quogue, you deal with the situation, reach out to others, and then co-curate an art show that asks viewers to ponder the meanings of self-image.

Luckily for Ms. Brokaw, she found an open ear and willing partner in Glynis Berry and Hideaki Ariizum of Art Sites gallery in Riverhead. The topic was widened to encompass the ways the human body changes. So was born “The Body Altered.”

“We didn’t want the show to be sensationalist or about the militant idea I had about the dangers of silicone implants,” Ms. Brokaw said. “We wanted the exhibition to reach a broad audience and to raise questions and discussion about the different ways the body changes—good and bad.”

Crucial for Ms. Berry was the notion that the exhibition had to revolve around art and not just concept. “It has to be art,” she said. “The meaning was a central theme. We wanted art that was open to interpretation and would start a dialogue.”

With all parties agreed on the direction of the show, a spot in Art Sites exhibition schedule was arranged. An open call for artists was issued through the Survivors Art Foundation, which Ms. Brokaw founded and heads. Fine artists who fit the thematic bill were invited by Ms. Berry and Ms. Brokaw to submit work. Commentators and poets were brought into the mix.

The exhibition opened on March 6 and runs through April 18. A panel discussion on body image and the impact of art and culture on the way people view themselves will be held on Saturday, March 20, at 2 p.m. “Mirror, Mirror On Your Wall” begins with a talk by Joyce Beckenstein, organizer of the North Fork Arts Project, who is sponsoring the panel. She will present an evolution of the idealization of the human figure from the ancient Greeks to the present day.

Participating in the discussion that follows will be: Guild Hall’s chief curator and museum director Christina Mossaides Strassfield; documentary photographer and exhibiting artist Bastienne Schmidt; Ms. Brokaw; and fitness trainer and college student Marisa Viola. The talk was organized by the North Fork Arts Project.

“I loved the concept and was happy to do it,” said Ms. Strassfield. “There are so many artists and the show includes artists whose work I respect. Art Sites is taking a concept and fully exploring it through art, panel discussion and poetry. They’re presenting a complete picture through totally different perspectives. I think it will be an interesting dialogue and quite the conversation.”

A poetry reading organized by the North Sea Poetry Scene will be held on March 27 at 5 p.m. An open call for poems on ways the body changes was sent out by the NSPS. Ms. Brokaw will also read poetry that corresponds to some of her artwork in the show.

Anchoring “The Body Altered” are a variety of works created by artists who have mastered their vision. All told, 15 artists were selected from around 60 applicants plus those invited to submit work. The show includes artists from the East End and such far flung locations as Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New Jersey and New York. Area artists include Claire Watson of Water Mill, Ms. Schmidt of Bridgehampton, Andrea Cote of Flanders and Ms. Brokaw of Quogue.

The range of artwork is as broad as the geographical reach of the artists. Three artists made work especially for the exhibition. Male and female issues are represented. Mirroring the vision of the two curators, the artwork tackles body changes pertaining to pregnancy, aging, amputation, weight loss to please others, and the ways intense emotion can contort the body.

The art is inspired by skin lightening, drag queens, sex appeal, and failing to live up to ideals of perfection. One series of photographs lifts a page from Victorian ghost stories, with a young girl discovering she can levitate after her legs have been amputated. Concise conceptual sculptures conjure the difference hair can make and its implication for femininity.

“This is a show like no other,” said Ms. Brokaw. “It’s a monumental show. It has all mediums—photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics, mixed media, marionettes and more. The range is enormous … I don’t want it ever to come down.”

“The Body Altered” is on view at Art Sites, 651 West Main Street, Riverhead. The panel discussion, “Mirror, Mirror On Your Wall,” will be held Saturday, March 20, at 2 p.m. A poetry reading organized by the North Sea Poetry Scene will be offered on March 27 at 5 p.m. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For information, visit www.artsitesgallery.com.