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Elspeth Diederix Azalea
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| Limited Edition:
2 Banners |
| Availability: Only 1 left! |
| Price:
$635 |
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| Museum:
The Art Institute of Chicago |
| Exhibition:
In Sight: Contemporary Dutch Photography from the Collection of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam |
| Material:
Printed vinyl |
| Dimensions:
L: 99 " (251 cm) : W:29 "
(74 cm) |
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Description:
The work of Elspeth Diederix (b. 1971) is at the crossroads of nature and society. Where one ends, the other seamlessly begins in photographs that blend the beauty of the natural world with the excesses of our consumption society. Hers is less a commentary on the evils wrought upon nature by humans than a statement about how the two can, and must, work together. In the stark beauty of her magical, often surreal images, there is a feeling of hopefulness that such a relationship can exist.
Diederix’s photographs never merely capture a random scene upon which she has stumbled. Instead, she works as a director, carefully and intentionally placing each item within her composition to dramatic effect. She uses incongruous materials like plastics and harsh chemical paints to contrast with beautiful, natural settings. This is nowhere more obvious and striking that in her 2003 photograph Azalea where the beauty of a flowering bush is strewn with brightly colored plastic bags.
The image on the banner is a detail of Diederix’s Azalea, the bush’s delicate branches and fragile pink flowers playing host to a riot of colorful plastic sacks. Playing upon the theme of human impact on nature, the photograph at first appears to be nothing more than an azalea bush in unusual, multi-color bloom. On closer inspection, one sees that the azalea bush is in fact hung with multi-colored plastic shopping bags. The colorful bags effectively play upon the illusion of nature where in fact there has been the impact of man. The meaning with which her work is imbued stems from this juxtaposition of the seemingly natural with the highly unnatural and unexpected.
Below the detail of Azalea on the front of the banner there is a lavender band with white text that reads “Through May 8, 2005”. The other side of the banner features a red background with white text that reads “In Sight” and lavender text that reads “Contemporary Dutch Photography”. Below this is a lavender band with the name of the museum “The Art Institute of Chicago” in white letters, and the name and logo of the exhibition’s sponsor “LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO”. |
| Provenance:
This banner was displayed around downtown Chicago to promote the exhibition, In Sight: Contemporary Dutch Photography from the Collection of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam at The Art Institute of Chicago. This was the only venue for this exhibition. |
About the Artist:
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, artist Elspeth Diederix (b. 1971) is an avid traveler, and this plays an important role in her life and work. But while her exotic locations often impact her vision, she keeps the location almost outside of her work and she herself remains detached as an observer not a participant. This is evident in her ability to view everyday objects in new, unexpected, and sometimes visually abstract ways without making the viewer aware of her presence. Her works’ optical illusions and perspectival games are created through her own manual manipulations, not through digital means. This gives the works a timelessness that is not always seen in the work of other contemporary photographers who manipulate works through digital means. Her works are in numerous public and private collections including Akzo-Nobel, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, ABN/AMRO, and LaSalle Bank in Chicago.
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| Color Scheme: Warm - Cool - |
| Style: Photography - Contemporary - |
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