This thesis consists of a curatorial essay and contemporary art exhibition entitled To Be Real, with works by Althea Thauberger, Helen Reed and Lars Laumann. These artists have approached subjects removed from the everyday (respectively, remote Italian villagers, Twin Peaks fans and an objectùm-sexual woman). Through indexical media, documented research, interviews and amateur techniques, the works present a realist aesthetic, showing the subjects as seen and encountered first hand. My research investigated different theoretical approaches to realism in contemporary art and ethnography, particularly in relation to lens- based representation. The curatorial essay considers the parallels between these artistic practices and ethnographic realism, identifying a contradiction between the artists’ factual approaches and the inconsistent and illusive realities they represent. I put forth the term incoherent real to express the tenuous balance these works hold between indexicality and theatricality, and the use of video to highlight the gaps between perception and experience.