The Stranger

Titus Kaphar starts by remaking the old oil paintings he intends to destroy. Then he begins cutting and manipulating. Parts are cut out, left only as silhouettes, and other parts are barely attached, dangling. It's unsettling, a little like considering that the skin can be removed from a face. But the identity in question is American history. Kaphar takes it apart and puts it back together from his perspective as an artist and a black man. What could be a better companion to the precolonial-to-19th-century exhibition Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness down the hall? That show is visiting from Yale—Kaphar's alma mater. (Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, 625-8900. 10 am–5 pm, $15 suggested.) by Jen Graves

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