hidden in plain sight

There is a show at the National Portrait Gallery right now that I wish I could see. The title of the show is Hide/Seek, and focuses on portraits of gays and lesbians, but veiled, coded or hidden, throughout history. (Was that comma placed correctly?)

There is an immediately to this showing. A sense that there is a movement which has been brewing for a long, long time. The idea of capturing oneself in images, be it a painting or a photograph, has been around as long as we have. But for gays and lesbians, like everything else in life, there have been limitations to what can be captured, or how.

Jeff Sheng has been working within this realm of capturing, while simultaneously hiding, in his images of currently serving service men and women. His photo series, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is incredibly evocative and moving.

Like the painters, photographers, sculptors and other artists before, Jeff has found a way to capture the person, while keeping him secret. You can tell so much about the people in this series...other than who they are. Unlike the painting at top, however, which attempted to hide the sexuality of the subjects while keeping the identity open, Jeff makes sexuality the premise and identity what one must "seek".

It is not, however, only an artistic pursuit. As gays and lesbians become more accepted, and more accepting of themselves, the two--sexuality and identity--will unite. This has happened before, and does now, but sometimes this takes on extra political significance as people politicize the desires of someone to simply "be".

Recently, two lesbians in Southern states, independently of one another, decided to wear tuxedos for their high school yearbook photos instead of the drape and earrings required. One school allowed the girl to, the other (pictured above) allowed her to take the photo, but left her out of the yearbook.

The idea that ones sexual identity could have impacts upon his or her personal and political life seems ridiculous, however, it continues to happen. But, lest we think this is a new phenomenon, this gallery showing reminds us that it has been going on for as long as there has been art. And, I believe, helps tie the gay and lesbian community of today to a history that could easily have been forgotten. By rooting the community in its past, it helps to pave the way for the future, and give perspective on today.