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We
are pleased to present our second exhibition of work by Julie Blackmon,
whose images of her children, nieces, nephews and friends, have captivated
the photo world. Blackmon, herself the oldest of nine children, balances
her role as a mother of three and an artist, referencing family life
and the environment it creates. Chaos, disorder, fantasies, gatherings,
game playing,.....all of these scenarios dominate Domestic Vacations,
Blackmon's new photographic series and monograph [Radius Books, 2008].
Blackmon credits the 17 c Dutch genre painter, Jan
Steen, for her inspiration. His paintings of chaos and disorder resonated
with her life back in Springfield, Missouri. With more than 50 relatives
living in her home town, Blackmon's life was a Steen painting –
it was only a matter of time before she started creating art which showed
the joys, triumphs, dangers, solace and excitement of her controlled
chaos. Through these large color images, we enter a world of fantasy,
where nothing is quite as it seems. Like Alice in her wonderland, Blackmon's
children appear in reality and fantasy, engrossed in their fictitious
worlds. These are curious images which make us pause, question, laugh,
reflect and smile.
Julie Blackmon has received critical attention over
the past few years. Her work is part of numerous private and public
collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX), The Toledo
Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art and The Museum of Contemporary
Photography (Chicago).
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