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10/28/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/29/2024 08:55

Work by Renowned Photographer Laurie Simmons at BU’s Stone Gallery

Work by Renowned Photographer Laurie Simmons at BU's Stone Gallery

Photos offer peek into artist's surreal miniature domestic scenes

Pink House is one of the photos included in 1998: Works by Laurie Simmons, running through December 7 at BU's Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery. Photos by Mel Taing

Fine Arts

Work by Renowned Photographer Laurie Simmonsat BU's Stone Gallery

Photos offer peek into artist's surreal miniature domestic scenes

October 28, 2024
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When most people think of their worst fear, it's unlikely to be a miniature pink and purple house. But in a photograph by artist Laurie Simmons on view at the College of Fine Arts Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, that house is imbued with a sense of foreboding. The otherwise unassuming pastel walls appear almost treacherous. Why is the door slightly ajar? What mysterious light source is casting long shadows over the pinkish walls of the house? Could something dangerous have happened here?

The work is among the 21 by the renowned photographer that make up 1998: Works by Laurie Simmons, on view through December 7, comprising photographs of miniature architectural models, furniture, and figures, all taken in 1998. The show's title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Taylor Swift's album 1989.

Simmons is a part of the Pictures Generation, a group of artists that emerged in the early 1970s who were known for critical analysis of media culture. She became noted for staging domestic scenes featuring dolls and ventriloquist dummies and then photographing them.

The exhibition showcases photographs by Simmons taken during 1998. Its title playfully references Taylor Swift's album titled 1989.

The exhibition is an undeniable success, plunging viewers into constructed spaces that are simultaneously familiar and surreal. But to reach the heart of what Simmons' photography portrays, attentiveness is key, explains Lissa Cramer, director of BU Art Galleries. "This whole show is really about close looking and examining," she says.

To help visitors uncover the layers of meaning behind Simmons' work, Lauren Graves, associate curator at the Boston Athenaeum, wrote detailed textual descriptions to accompany the show. "When I'm writing about her work, I'm trying to make it so that other folks can access it," she says.

Take, for example, the photo White House/Green Lawn (View IV). Graves points to the undisclosed light source and tightly shut windows as sources of the strange tension the photo provokes. Guided by her text, viewers might find themselves asking: are we supposed to be looking at the perfectly constructed white house in the picture or are we intruders? What could be hidden underneath the dark roof? This, in turn, leads to a far deeper level of engagement with the work.

But even if you're the kind of gallery goer who prefers strolling past pieces rather than scrutinizing their descriptions, the Stone Gallery exhibition evokes subtle, yet unexpected emotions-the intentional way Simmons' photos have been hung plays an important role in that.

Photos from Laurie Simmons' series Deluxe-Redding House.

Entering the exhibition, viewers see two glossy photographs showing female bodies decked in pink tulle, miniature houses between their legs. The softness of the ballerina-esque outfits and pastel homes seems comforting at first, but there's something disconcerting about the awkward poses of the figures and the massive size of the two photographs. And, there's the fact that the women are headless, which only amplifies the ominous undertones of the two works.

Moving past the emotional complexity created by the pair of photos-the most jarring in the show-it's easy to identify the tensions present in Simmons' other pieces. The photos offer a sort of affective priming that make it easier to plunge past the playfulness of her subject matter and into the complexity of her messages.

Staging an exhibition of Simmons' photographs was a yearlong process, Cramer says. Three of the photo series were previously shown in 1998, but Simmons wanted them to get more recognition.

"She had a specific vision, and I was able to take her specific vision and put it in the gallery," Cramer says. "It was a nice collaboration between the two of us."

Part of that vision involved showing the photographs in a large empty space, which required moving the gallery's mobile walls to open it up. Additionally, Simmons wanted each photo series to be grouped together, Cramer says, and the artist'steam built a 3D model of the BU gallery in Simmons' studio so they could play with different configurations.

Photographs on one side of the gallery capture an uninhabited and eerily tidy retro house. After seeing these intimate shots of domestic perfection, the juxtaposing scene on the opposite side of the gallery-a dark, shadowy office space filled with female figures-becomes even more startling. This is Simmons at her finest, provoking unexpected emotional reactions and playing with our understanding of shared spaces like homes and office spaces.

The Deluxe-Redding House series by Simmons invites viewers into a staged modernist dollhouse.

As Graves puts it, there's a sort of "uncanny familiarity" in Simmons' photography. "I would encourage people to be willing to let these images kind of jog their memory," she says.

With only 21 works in the exhibition, reaching the end of the gallery feels slightly underwhelming, leaving the viewer yearning to see more of her work. But the small number of photographs nudges viewers into spending more time at each one. This, in turn, illuminates contrasts such as light vs. dark or nostalgia vs. danger that are present in Simmons' work.

Cramer urges visitors to explore the intention behind each photograph and take their time as they peruse the exhibition.

"The artist was so deliberate in making these choices," Cramer says, "so take advantage of it."

Find a virtual tour of the exhibition here.

1998: Works by Laurie Simmons is on view at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Ave., through December 7. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 am to 5 pm, and entry is free and open to the public.

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