In the mid-twentieth century, the homogeneity of suburbia provided a place for individual’s to discover and express their identity. It was a refuge for personal reflection and expression. This act of separation has physically manifested itself in more exclusionary ways with every decade.

Three pieces at the … After the Suburbs exhibit at the Kiang Gallery represent this growing physical manifestation of separation. Amandine Drouet’s Monument Sign provides the initial separation of the neighborhood from the world, representative of the “us” and “them” concept. Travis Shaffer’s Residential Facades lack of windows further separates not only the neighborhood from the world, but neighbors from one another. Finally, Sarah Hobbs’s Avoidance illustrates the homeowner’s final attempt to separate from all others. The existing window is covered in aluminum foil.

Castle-like signs and windowless facades provide a place for individuals to create a true self, within not only the confines of their home, but also their head. This continues to be a highly sought after attribute of suburbia in the twenty-first century. However, this separation seems to be more alien and discomforting than mid-twentieth century suburbia. Why is such seclusion necessary? Are we becoming so strange that all aspects of our personal life must be completely hidden from all other’s view? What is normal?