Her worksmore than a dozen major series and hundreds of individual piecesexplore issues of racism, sexism, and oppression, and blend the boundaries of history, anthropology, and beauty. Eliciting epic contexts from individually framed moments, weems debunks racist and sexist labels, examines the relationship between power and aesthetics, and uses personal biography to articulate broader. The ballad of songbirds and snakes from the author that brought you the hunger games, reenter the world of panem again sixtyfour years before the events of the original series. Carrie mae weems may days long forgotten 2004 artsy.
A photograph from kitchen table series, the seminal body of work carrie mae weems created in 1990, set a new artist record today. Weems has also used fabric, text, audio and digital images as mediums in her work. Carrie mae weems created the following photo series american icons between 1988 and 1989. Hammonds house museum launches its 30th anniversary season with an exhibition and film by acclaimed visual artist, carrie mae weems. Oct 15, 2018 how carrie mae weems rewrote the rules of imagemaking perhaps our best contemporary photographer, she creates work that insists on the worth of black women both in art and in life. Nov 04, 2011 combining text and photography, contemporary artist carrie mae weems explores the notion of a narrative within her work.
In the past ive employed elements of text in and around my work, but im certainly not a storyteller. Carrie mae weems was born in portland, oregon, in 1953. In a recent post, i talked about the photographer carrie mae weems and the recent retrospective of her work, which i had the great good fortune to see, in particular a series called from here i saw what happenedand i cried. In carrie mae weemss photographs, revelation and resistance. Her awardwinning photographs, films, and videos have been displayed in over 50 exhibitions in the united states and abroad and focus on serious issues that face african americans today, such as. Carrie mae weems work is amazing, but this catalog does not do it justice. Apr 26, 2016 carrie mae weems born 1953 is considered one of the most influential contemporary american artists. The 20 photographs and 14 text panels that make up kitchen table series tell a story of one womans life, as conducted in the intimate setting of her kitchen. She earned a bfa from the california institute of the arts, valencia 1981. Her awardwinning photographs, films, and videos have been displayed in over 50 exhibitions in the united states and abroad and focus on serious issues that face african americans today, such as racism, gender relations, politics, and personal identity. Pr i wasnt interested in the act of performing before i made this series, i just thought of myself as the most convenient subject.
How carrie mae weems rewrote the rules of imagemaking. Her next series, 1998s american icons, featured elegant still lives of ugly. The images told the story of her family, and she has said that in this project she was trying to explore the movement of black families out of the south and into the north, using her family as a model for the larger theme. Three decades of photography and video, guggenheim museum. Jul 01, 2018 macarthur genius award winner carrie mae weemss reflections on police violence ask the audience to understand that, yes, brutal violence is america. A new retrospective at the guggenheim looks back at her thoughtprovoking work. Carrie mae weems born 1953 is an american photographer and artist. Carrie mae weems born april 20, 1953 is an american artist who works with text, fabric, audio.
The art of carrie mae weems gets a major salute from the cleveland. See more ideas about carry on, black artists and american artists. See more ideas about photographer, mae, photography. It focuses on subtle racist figurings from americas past. An investigation into the edifice of power, weems performed a series of photographic actions throughout rome. For thirty years, carrie mae weems has made the art world confront issues of race, class, and gender. Carrie mae weems american icons stevesocialchangeblog. In a career spanning two decades, photographer carrie mae weems has. Carrie mae weems is an internationally renowned artist, best known for her work in photography. Weemss recent blue notes series 201415 features blurred and obscured images of black icons. Combining text and photography, contemporary artist carrie mae weems explores the notion of a narrative within her work. Her intimate depictions of children, adults, and families in simple settings document and interpret the ongoing and centuriesold struggle for racial equality.
Carrie mae weems reflects on her seminal kitchen table series decades after she photographed it, just in time for its first standalone book release. Similar themes can be found in weems work spanning from american icons 19881989 to from here i saw what happened and i cried 1995. A lot of the images and text are so small that the images are difficult to decipher and some of the text is impossible to read. Another series called american icons, completed in 1989, also focused on racism. Carrie mae weemss most popular book is class pictures.
Carrie mae weems has 14 books on goodreads with 140 ratings. In this work weems juxtaposes a black and white photograph with an alternate version of a line from the story of snow white. Carrie mae weems on her series from here i saw what happened. Kitchen table series is the first publication dedicated solely to this early and important body of work by the american artist carrie mae weems. The museum series is organized by lauren haynes, assistant curator and runs concurrently with weemss midcareer retrospective, on view at the guggenheim museum from january 24 may 14, 2014. Nov 26, 2018 bronze bust of president barack obama by artist matthew gonzalez donated to the permanent collection of the hutchins center for african and african american research by the artist carrie mae weems. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. The photographer carrie mae weems has made a career of representing american life in terms of race, gender and class, often using her own image to illustrate her point of view. The museum series, studio museum in harlem, new york. Carrie mae weems and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices.
Steeped in africanamerican history, carrie mae weemss works explore issues of race, class, and gender identity. Carrie mae weems, born april 20, 1953, portland, oregon, u. Sep 16, 2012 the photographer carrie mae weems has made a career of representing american life in terms of race, gender and class, often using her own image to illustrate her point of view. Black photography annual, a book of images by africanamerican photographers. The series aint jokin and american icons from the late 1980s. Mar 10, 2020 carrie mae weems is an internationally renowned artist, best known for her work in photography. The kitchen, one of the primary spaces of domesticity and the traditional domain of women. Real and imagined, pippy houldsworth gallery, london. Carrie mae weems, photographer and subject the new york. In 1983, carrie mae weems completed her first collection of photographs, text, and spoken word, called family pictures and stories. Carrie mae weems is a photographer and video installation artist examining the complex and contradictory legacy of african american identity, class, and culture in the united states. Decaravas depictions of harlem in his book with langston hughes. Macarthur genius award winner carrie mae weemss reflections on police violence ask the audience to understand that, yes, brutal violence is america.
This thesis examines how mirror mirror, by carrie mae weems, draws attention to and breaks down the prevailing notions of racial difference. American icons series 19881989 more pictures kitchen table series 1990 more pictures. American icons series 19881989 more pictures kitchen table series 1990 more pictures africa series 1993 more pictures the jefferson suite 2001 more pictures. Oct 30, 2014 untitled eating lobster, 1990, by carrie mae weems photograph. Welcome to the official website of artist carrie mae weems. Rather, in my work, text functions as a conceptual frame for creating play, counterpoint, tension andor positioning meaning. In 1985 weems began working on her american icons series, which looks at accepted forms of racism that have infiltrated american lifeblack mammy cookie jars, black jockey lawn. The images in this series are titled after supposedly humorous stereotypes about black culture, which contrast mightily with the portraits themselves. See michele wallace, black macho and the myth of the superwoman new york. One of the more interesting artists working in the gap between art and politics. Primarily working in photography and video, but also exploring everything from verse to performance, weems has said that regardless of medium, activism is a central concern of her practicespecifically, looking at history as a way of better understanding the present.
Mar 6, 2014 carrie mae weems is an american artist who is best known for her work in the field of photography. But as i said, she has a tremendous body of work and i want to comment on several of them. Carrie mae weems american artist and photographer britannica. Carrie mae weems describes the impetus for her series roaming 2006. Carrie mae weems, interview by mark anthony neal, left of. Aint jokin is one of carrie mae weems earliest photographic series, and established the wry wit, intimate portraiture, and interplay with text for which she is well known. Untitled eating lobster, 1990, by carrie mae weems photograph. See available photographs, prints and multiples, and design for sale and learn about the artist. In sea islands series, made in the early 1990s, weems photographically explores the spiritual and cultural life of the gullah people living off the. For over thirtyfive years, weems has developed a complex contemporary ongoing dialogue addressing issues of cultural identity, sexism, political systems, family. How carrie mae weems rewrote the rules of imagemaking the. Weems, who is probably best known as a photographer, initially studied modern dance.
Carrie mae weems on her series from here i saw what. In a career spanning over 30 years, she has investigated family relationships, cultural identity, sexism, class, political systems and the consequences of power. Carrie mae weems is the author of carrie mae weems 3. Mar 21, 2012 carrie mae weems created the following photo series american icons between 1988 and 1989. Six women photographers 9780823414987 by leslie sills. How carrie mae weems rewrote the rules of imagemaking perhaps our best contemporary photographer, she creates work that insists on the worth of black women. Carrie mae weems, photographer and subject the new york times. Bronze bust of president barack obama by artist matthew gonzalez donated to the permanent collection of the hutchins center for african and african american research by the artist carrie mae weems.
Carrie mae weems reflects on her seminal, enduring kitchen. In a career spanning two decades, photographer carrie mae weems has garnered impressive art world success. Carrie mae weemss vibrant explorations of photography, video, and verse breathe new life into traditional narrative forms like social documentary, tableaux, selfportrait, and oral history. A fullcolor, visual book, titled carrie mae weems, was published by yale university press in october 2012. They were one of many bodies of works that she focused on to portray africanamerican life and the racism it endured on a subconscious level. A 2006 rome prize from the american academy made possible a. Carrie mae weems is a contemporary american artist.