Catherine Opie: American Photographer.
September 26, 2008–January 7, 2009
The Guggenheim itself was a little disappointing. What looks like a majestic climb from the outside was a slightly awkward and hardly spiritual experience. The large void in the middle does little but bring all the noise from the foyer into the gallery spaces. These letdowns were easily fixed when I stumbled across Catherine Opie's epic retrospective. This exhibition in a word is genius.
Although contemporary portraits are all the rage at the moment Opie's portrait lend themselves to a much more thoughtful rather than Vanity Fair appearance. Her most recent collection of personal photographs explore the understanding of gender is the most natural and real way. Her landscapes are mesmerising as they take on their own personality and mystery. It is worth listening to the audio tour for this as Opie personally discussing each separate series.
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