Behind the Collection

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As a culture that fetishizes voyeurism and consumer electronics, it is a shame that the focus of our around-the-clock surveillance is all too often the least interesting subjects: Britney, Brangelina, etc. Meanwhile, individuals with despicable levels of power over our lives remain elusive and outside the camera's incessant lens. Jill Miller's new multimedia exhibition, COLLECTORS, opening on November 17th at San Francisco's 2nd Floor Projects is a clever reworking of this model. The SF-based Miller trained for three months with a licensed private investigator, learning how to "conduct surveillance within the legal limits of the law." In an inversion of relations, Miller then turned her eye to rarified species of prominent art collectors in San Francisco, focusing on 10 houses, 5 of them in depth. The exhibition will consist of "video, photography, text, and sculptural elements" made during her undercover surveillance. While it is unclear how Miller feels about her subjects, it is a fascinating tactic.