A Non-reflective Mirror

In the spring of 2008, Dexter Sinister participated (well, sort of) in the Whitney Biennial with a project involving the installation of non-reversing mirrors in the museum’s second-floor restrooms. Although not officially listed as an artwork in the Biennial's catalog, the mirrors were integrated into the space as part of a subtle intervention that challenged traditional classifications of design.

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The “True Mirror” itself predates Dexter Sinister’s intervention at the Whitney Biennial. As its inventor John Walter told me, he’s been creating mirrors like this since the 1990s. In fact, the Whitney had already placed one of his early 18x18 mirrors in the gift shop during that same period.

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The 18x18 "True Mirror" displayed a non-reversed reflection, showing viewers their image as others see them, rather than the typical reversed reflection of a standard mirror. Dexter Sinister, the collaborative duo of David Reinfurt and Stuart Bailey, did not present the piece as a formal artwork, but rather as an applied object intended to function on its own terms.

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Reinfurt has described the project as occupying a “gray zone,” reflecting the broader ethos of Dexter Sinister’s practice. Check out their incredible archived materials here (at) dextersinister.org