Chapter X, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I‑XVIII

Taryn Simon, Chapter X, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII, 2011, archival inkjet prints comprised of six components, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.26.1A-F, © 2011, Taryn Simon
Copied Taryn Simon, Chapter X, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII, 2011, archival inkjet prints comprised of six components, overall: 84 x 304 1⁄4 in. (213.4 x 772.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.26.1A-F, © 2011, Taryn Simon

Artwork Details

Title
Chapter X, A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I‑XVIII
Artist
Date
2011
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall: 84 x 304 1⁄4 in. (213.4 x 772.8 cm)
Copyright
© 2011, Taryn Simon
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
archival inkjet prints comprised of six components
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
Object Number
2014.26.1A-F
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2014.26.1A-F

Artwork Description

In Chapter X from "A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters I-XVIII," Taryn Simon traced the bloodline of Cabrera Antero, one of the members of the Igorot community from the Philippines who were put on display at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, a World's Fair held in St. Louis in 1904. Antero met his wife during their voyage to America, where they settled after the Exposition and eventually had eleven children. Simon tracked down and photographed Antero's children and grandchildren. To the right of the portraits, two panels provide biographical information on each family member, a brief history of the Exposition, and images of the fair. Chapter X and the other seventeen chapters in the series explore the intersection of personal and social history, and question the impact of fate on the lives of individuals and their descendants.