1708 Gallery is pleased to announce What were you after then? What are you after now? an exhibition of early works by prolific artist and 1708 artist Board member Cindy Neuschwander. This retrospective presents selections from two bodies of work that have rarely been exhibited cohesively and represent Neuschwander’s formative years. What were you after then? What are you after now? focuses on collage, photography, scraffito, text, and painting, and her deeply personal engagement with figure and identity.

What were you after then? What are you after now? features works from 1984 - 1990 when photography was prominent in Neuschwander’s creative process. Her saturated palette and pointed juxtapositions encapsulate the relationships, idiosyncrasies, and artistic intuition that would inform the breadth of her career. At times playful and others starkly domineering these works signal a sophisticated Feminism that transcends generations. The title refers to a quote of painter Leon Golub in Sketchbook with Voices which Neuschwander noted in her personal copy. Neuschwander once referred to her studio as a cathedral. In this retrospective 1708 looks to her work from this time as a type of cathedral where the body as form, the psychology of a young artist, and her burgeoning visual language can be contemplated.

1708 is proud to finish our 40th anniversary year with this exhibition as it reflects our mission to foster emerging artistic practices and honors the significant role that artists, and particularly Neuschwander, have played across these four decades. 

"What were you after then? What are you after now?" is presented in conjunction with Reynolds Gallery's current exhibition, "A Measure of Life", featuring Neuschwander’s work from 1999-2010.

Special Thanks: Jay Barrows, Angeline Robertson, and Jo Cudlip and Fan Frame.