Black and White Ben: A Review of Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings

by Alex Paternostro • July 31, 2021

Shortcomings pulls no punches as it broaches the idea of a racialized image. Starting with the title page, which profiles the upcoming cast of characters—name, age, height, born, occupation—with side views to match, Tomine urges us to consider how general impressions, artistic representations, and visual media, that is, different definitions of an “image,” craft how one views and is viewed as of a certain racial identity. His take is unique and especially uninviting to any feel-good-read crowd. How fitting for an artist whose recent works include Killing and Dying (2015) and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist (2020).