Facing up to ugly truths
We once expected the portrait not only to capture a sitter's physical likeness but also to capture something of the 'inner being'. We now know that, thanks to digital technology, the camera frequently lies, and this expansive exhibition sets out to question presumptions about portraiture as a 'true' likeness of ourselves.
'Straight' photographer Rineke Dijkstra demonstrates the problematic nature of portraiture's reliability. She presents two photographs of the same woman, one taken three weeks after giving birth, the other five months. From the tiny changes that have taken place - a softer gaze, a plumper face - one would hardly recognise her as the same individual.
French artist Orlan has used extensive surgery to radically alter her features. Here, she has merely digitally superimposed pre-Columbian pottery on to her features to produce a spooky, scarified face. But the more interesting questions raised about Orlan's physical alterations press on the shifting nature of self-image and how much of it is tied to appearance.
Under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the taking of portraits was banned. In Thomas Dworzak's found photos of Taliban members, we discover men wearing kohl eyeliner and holding hands with each other, a testament to our unquenchable need to validate ourselves through imagery.
Until Sep 5, Hayward Gallery, South Bank SE1, daily 11am to 7pm (Tue and Wed to 8pm, Fri to 9pm), £9, £4 concs (Mon half price). Tel: 08703 800 400. Tube: Waterloo
