White Box Museum of Art to Exhibit Leading Chicago Photographer Patty Carroll’s
Dec 11 - Dec 29, 2010

Press Release

White Box Museum of Art to Exhibit Leading Chicago Photographer Patty Carroll’s
 Anonymous Women series 

Renowned Chicago female photographer, Patty Carroll's Anonymous Women series, will be showcased in White Box Museum of Art of 798 Art District from December 11, 2010 to December 29, 2010. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 11 at 3:00 pm, admission is free.

Carroll, who teaches digital photography at Columbia College and The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, is well known for her visual play on domestic objects and their relationships to women. Anonymous Women features 17 photographs of faceless figures draped in striking fabrics and textiles.   Carroll started this project after returning from her life in England, where she felt her household status superseded her professional and personal identity.  “Making a home, whether through physical renovation or an internal sense of comfort, remains a constant, universal issue for many women. As a woman artist, I am addressing the double edge of domesticity; the home as comfort opposed to a place where decoration can substitute for, or hide ills and truths,” Carroll comments.  “The pictures are claustrophobic and powerful.”  Readjusting to life in America, she began to artistically play with ideas behind home accoutrements, providing her both solace and dread.   “While the trappings shown here are western style drapery from various eras, I am hoping that they will translate into all cultures,” Carroll adds. “Perhaps this work will offer the chance for women anywhere to both laugh and cry at these essential predicaments.”  

About Patty Carroll
Patty Carroll received her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Science degree in photography from The Institute of Design, IIT in Chicago, studying fine art and traditional photography with Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel, and Garry Winogrand, Since then, she has continuously taught photography at the university level, while working as an independent artist in her Chicago studio. Her photographs have been purchased by The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and MOMA, as well as many private collectors. Her photographs have been published in various books as part of larger projects, such as Women Photographers (Abrams), and Changing Chicago, (U of I Press.) Her collaboration with Victor Margolin resulted in the book, Culture is Everywhere, released in 2002 (Prestel.).  

SPONSOR: WHITE BOX MUSEUM OF ART
OPENING: 15:00, SATURDAY, 11th DECEMBER, 2010
DATES: 11th DECEMBER TO 29th DECEMBER, 2010
MUSEUM OPENING HOURS: 10:00- 17:30, TUESDAY- SUNDAY
VENUE: WHITE BOX MUSEUM OF ART, 798 ART DIST., No.2 JIUXIANQIAO ROAD, CHAOYANG DIST., BEIJING, CHINA
CONTACT US: +86-10-5978 4801
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.798whitebox.com

Curator Article

Anonymous Women
Patty Carroll

This project began while living in England, where my identity within the society was seen through aspects of my outward, domestic situation. Although I thought being identified as a Mrs. rather than Ms, artist, or woman was outmoded, I soon found that in a more traditional culture than the United States, one’s domestic status supersedes one’s professional or personal identity. Mrs. Jones was another woman who was also Patty Carroll, and it seemed that I was living a double life. Photographs of stark heads hiding behind various domestic objects were my response to this predicament. The project continued when we moved back to the US, where I surprisingly felt confusion about fitting into a former life, position, identity, culture and self. The artist self in me had to look inside for some resolve. Home accoutrements provided both solace and dread.

Making a home, whether through physical renovation or an internal sense of comfort, remains a constant, universal issue for many women. In an atmosphere of perceived external threats to safety and security, the home takes on more importance; it is a source of calm and refuge, but is also a place that is often overly decorated, orderly to the point of perfection, and excessive as an expression of a woman’s status. As a woman artist, I am addressing the double edge of domesticity; the home provides comfort but can also be place where embellishment can substitute for internal ills, or hide personal truths.

These photographs are printed digitally on archival premium luster paper, and framed.

Artist:

    Patty Carroll

Installation View




Artworks

  • antenna 91×122cm
  • argument 91×91cm
  • birds_in_hand 91×122cm
  • brown_tuft 91×122cm
  • brown_tuft 91×122cm
  • ecru_shade 91×122cm
  • emperor 102×122cm
  • fishy 91×122cm
  • flowery 102×122cm
  • forty 102×122cm
  • frying_pan 91×122cm
  • island_girl 102×122cm
  • mad 91×122cm
  • pink_pillow 91×122cm
  • royal 91×122cm
  • serve 91×91cm
  • Squiggly 91×122cm



Media Report