Invite a friend to a portrait photography exhibition, and chances are good that you'll go alone. But two group shows opening this week and next prove that there is more to portraiture than meets the eye.

A New American Portrait, at Jen Bekman Gallery, presents work by nine photographers who blend fiction, truth and metaphor to create highly structured realities. Some are carefully staged, as in Jen Davis' self-portraits that present a body that does not match today's mediated ideal, and Todd Hido's emotionally charged photographs of women in roadside motel rooms. In Brian Ulrich's Thrift series, the lost excitement of shopping is captured in candid interiors reminiscent of street photography. The transparent, fragmented views Peter Haakon Thompson makes of himself, in the frozen North Dakota landscape, evoke a gnawing sense of loneliness.

Seen together, the eighteen images on view explore complex themes of identity, sexuality, gender, consumerism, and class that shape American society. The exhibition was co-curated by Jen Bekman and Joerg Colberg, editor of the photography blog, Conscientious. Photos below, left to right, by Christine Collins, Brian Ulrich, Benjamin Donaldson, and Amy Elkins, courtesy of Jen Beckman Gallery.

The Evolution of the Digital Portrait, at ClampArt, traces ways in which visual artists have used the digital medium to challenge notions of visual perception and identity. Starting with Nancy Burson, best known for developing technology to create composite portraits, which was later used forensically by the F.B.I, the exhibition includes work by well-known artists Loretta Lux, Marc Yankus, and Jill Greenberg as well as rising talents, including Jake Rowland and Noah Kalina.

A New American Portrait
Jen Bekman Gallery
June 22 - August 3, 2007
Opening reception: June 22, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

The Evolution of the Digital Portrait
ClampArt
June 28 - August 17, 2007
Opening reception: June 28, 6:00 - 8:00pm