Catherine Opie: 1999 & In and Around the Home, Opening at MOCA

I attended the artists talk with Catherine Opie at CIA Wednesday night and I can't wait to see her show. A serious photographer since the age of 9, Opie works in the traditional (non-digital) format. Her approach to subject matter is very architectural and indeed she said if she had not become a photographer she would have become an architect. Some of her best known and most challenging work are portraits of members of the gay and lesbian community. Community is a recurring theme in Opie's work -- its what drew her to photograph surfers (as in this portrait), ice houses, and certain cultural/ethnic groups.

Opie's approach to her work could not be more different that of Dana Schutz the other artist who also has an exhibition opening this Friday. Opie's photos are very personal, often depicting family, friends and pets. Her subjects are based on reality and contain her commentary on that reality. Her recent series, In and Around the Home, came about when she began thinking about the state of political art today. Disappointed, she decided that this is not a time to be complacent; she is "not quite pleased with the direction of our country now". The images in  In and Around Home are about how "the personal is political."

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