The Doppelgänger exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia, which runs from 23 October 2009 to 23 March 2010 features the work of seven artists, Gazira Babeli, Andrew Burrell (image above of Temporary Self Portrait), Cao Fei, Patrick Lichty (image bottom of Code Portraits), Adam Nash, Christopher Dodds and Justin Clemens (image below of Autoscopia). The exhibition explores:

contemporary notions of portraiture in the online realm. Based in Second Life…exploring the concepts of constructed self, beauty and likeness, truth and illusion in self representation.

The curator of the show states the artists:

have produced artworks that break down the perceived line that occurs at the computer screen between real life and the digital realm. In a world dominated by Google, Facebook and Twitter, where the age-old adage ‘You are what you eat’ becomes ‘You are what you tweet’, the artists investigate and challenge the notion of data as a conduit of identity. While this might suggest the arrival of the ‘posthuman’, a humanity defined by digital connectedness, it is clear from the actions of those in Second Life that virtual culture is profoundly human: Make art, make love, lets dance. Indeed, the similarities between real life and virtual life prompt reconsideration – not of how real virtual interactions are in Second Life, but just how artificial our human connectedness is. Many of the works in doppelganger act as a mirror to our humanity, reflecting our insecurities, our search for beauty and sense of wonderment in creations and ultimately in ourselves. Explore this virtual world. Look in the mirror and a see brittle, elaborate and constructed identity.

To view the exhibition at the National Galleries Portrait Island in Second Life click on the Slurl here.