
Gillian Wearing (British, born 1963). Secrets and Lies, 2009. Video for monitor with sound, edition 3/5 plus 2 artist's proofs. Running time: 53 minutes, 16 seconds. Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mrs. Georgia M. G. Forman, by exchange, Edith Seimons and Irene Pirson MacDonald Funds, 2011 (2011:38). © 2009 Gillian Wearing. Courtesy Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.
© Gillian Wearing
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Gillian Wearing
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Gillian Wearing
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Gillian Wearing
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Gillian Wearing
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.





Gillian Wearing
British, born 1963
Secrets and Lies, 2009
video for monitor with sound
Edition: 3/5 plus 2 artist's proofs
running time: 53 minutes, 16 seconds
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Gift of Mrs. Georgia M. G. Forman, by exchange, Edith Seimons and Irene Pirson MacDonald Funds, 2011
2011:38
More Details
Inscriptions
Provenance
the artist;Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York;
sold to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, August 30, 2011
Class
Work Type
Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms
Gillian Wearing explores the disparities between public and private life, and notions of taboo, fear, and self-awareness. With the premise of portraiture as the basis of her practice, her earliest photographs candidly reveal individuals through their image and their words. In her recent works, Wearing’s subjects are in disguise. She interviews them in a manner that builds a sense of trust and often leads to the airing of unsettling narratives. To create Secrets and Lies, Wearing recorded the intimate confessions of ordinary people wearing mannequin-like masks and wigs to conceal their identities. The sitters were gleaned from an advertisement that Wearing placed online inviting volunteers to “confess all” on video. Presented in a heavily framed space, viewers are invited to enter this private, cryptic world. Provoking psychoanalysis and Judeo-Christian beliefs, Wearing provides a safe environment to contemplate the things that are better left unsaid.
Label from Eye to Eye: Looking Beyond Likeness, March 8–May 17, 2015
Related Content
Other Works by This Artist
- Self Portrait as my Brother Richard Wearing from the series Album ,
- Self Portrait as my Mother Jean Gregory from the series Album ,
- Self Portrait at 17 years old from the series Album ,
- Self Portrait as my Father Brian Wearing from the series Album ,
- Self Portrait as my Sister Jane Wearing from the series Album ,
- Self Portrait as my Uncle Bryan Gregory from the series Album ,
Collection Highlights All Collection Highlights
- "Untitled" (Double Portrait) ,
- Dinamismo di un cane al guinzaglio (Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash) ,
- The Street, Fifth Avenue ,
- Boys cutting through a hedge, Vancouver ,
- Yellow Movie 2/23-24/73 ,
- Elegy to the Spanish Republic XXXIV ,
- Die Wölfe (Balkankrieg) [The Wolves (Balkan War)] ,
- Street Music ,
- Untitled ,