Presence Through Process

The photographs in this exhibition evoke bodily presence, either overtly or abstractly, through a range of technical and conceptual processes. While photography often strives for visual objectivity, these artists emphasize personal perception. Suggestive rather than directive, the images demonstrate the fluidity of seeing and being seen.

As a group, the works on view survey recent photographic history, from artists who register experience directly to those who stage images for the camera in order to call attention more self-consciously to social conventions. Every choice made by the artist contributes to the desired interpretation of the subject, from the type of camera, film, or digital file, to the framing or staging of the image, to its exposure, focus, printing technique, and paper. Using these tools, the photographers presented here explore the political, psychological, spiritual, and perceptual body and make evident the limitless fascination the human form holds for the photographic practitioner and viewer alike.

The Museum would like to thank Isaac Wingfield, RISD Graduate Student in Photography and Art History Fellow in the Museum, and Mazie Harris, Brown University Graduate Student in Art History and Museum Proctor, for jointly conceiving of and organizing this exhibition.