Erik Gould

I-195 and Smokestack, Providence

Maker

Erik Gould (American, b. 1964 in New York), (RISD Museum staff photographer)

Title

I-195 and Smokestack, Providence
from the series Rhode Island Photographs

Year

1994

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Image/sheet: 11.3 x 13.7 cm (4 7/16 x 5 3/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

On verso in graphite, LR corner: 6' [upside down]

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum purchase: gift of Joseph A. Chazan, MD

Object Number

2019.9.2.6

Type

Exhibition History

The Performative Self-Portrait
May 13, 2023 – Nov 12, 2023

Label copy

When Erik Gould moved to Providence in late 1991, he came upon a city in the midst of reinventing itself. Buildings and neighborhoods that had existed for generations were being torn down to make way for glitzy new construction, all in the name of progress. Channeling 19th-century government-sponsored expeditions of the American West, Gould used the same tool as those early surveyors—a view camera—as he traveled throughout Rhode Island to capture spaces torn between old and new. Though this project may suggest impartiality, Gould frequently includes his own shadow in the frame, reminding the viewer that each photo is the result of numerous artistic decisions.

–Matthew Kluk (Brown PhD 2025, History of Art and Architecture), RISD   proctor 2021–2022

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Tombstone

Erik Gould (American, b. 1964 in New York)
I-195 and Smokestack, Providence; from the series Rhode Island Photographs, 1994
Gold-toned printing-out paper print
Image/sheet: 11.3 x 13.7 cm (4 7/16 x 5 3/8 inches)
Museum purchase: gift of Joseph A. Chazan, MD 2019.9.2.6

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