“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
– Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7
Performing Existence explores the paradoxical complexities of life and the performance of life through the form of visual art. This exhibit opens with the most obvious depictions of performance in art and progresses towards illustrations of life that subtly highlight the more nuanced moments of performance. Human existence is a constant performance of identity, culture, and ideals; performance is a reflection and representation of that humanity. This exhibit attempts to blur the lines between where life ends and where art begins through the exploration of performance as an aspect of human life and human life as a constant performance of existence. Every piece featured in this exhibit is housed in the University of Rochester’s Rossell Hope Robbins Library and Koller-Collins Center for English Studies. They range from illustrations found in original medieval manuscripts, reproductions, engravings, etching prints, and original pieces of art. The diverse range of artistic styles, periods, and forms that are highlighted in this exhibit is intentional and aids in emphasizing the perplexing relationship shared between performance as a reflection of life and the reality that life is a constant performance of identity and humanity.
Commedia Dell’Arte XI-B (1981), by Joseph Pecsenke. 
Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy 1970-1, David Hockney. Tate Gallery.