CIG HARVEY
SEPTEMBER 20 - NOVEMBER 4, 2007
The Robin Rice Gallery announces “You Look At Me Like An Emergency” an exhibition of photographs by Cig Harvey. An opening reception will be held on September 20th, 2007 from 5:30pm. to 8:30pm. The show runs through November 4th, 2007.
Cig has been using past and present personal experiences as her source of inspiration for her photographs for the past 10 years. "You Look at Me Like An Emergency" is a collection of images from Cig's latest portfolios. She considers the photographs, vignettes that depict autobiographical daily life. They are an attempt to legitimize her moments of uncertainty, as well as, to visually celebrate times of elation, when we are reminded that the world, in all its complexities, can be mind-blowingly beautiful.
The images on display, such as the image of Cig standing on a roof top staring at, while being enveloped by, clouds, is one example from the preceding portfolio "An Archaeology of Distraction"; A body of work that uses environment, gesture, light and brilliant vibrant color to describe ideas of actively seeking and passively waiting, in an attempt to fill a void in her life. Reminiscent of Edward Hopper, Cig uses both natural and urban locations cloaked in a particular psychologically charged light to hint at isolation and distraction. Her figure appears in caves, in diners, in train stations, in bars, at the water's edge, and there is the often the uneasy feeling that she has missed the event.
In addition to the self-portraits, Cig has recently begun including family and close friends in her pictures. The resulting images, such as the invitational piece, show domestic scenes that appear almost unreal. A Sunday morning breakfast with coffee and newspapers is transformed into the mysterious and magical by being photographed in a bright pink room with blown-out curtains. The figure (Cig) behind the curtain becomes a bride and Doug (her new husband) becomes everyman. In another, we see their house, photographed at night from the outside. Their figures are inter-twinned in the window while the stars fall above them. These newer pictures celebrate life and show that perhaps Cig has found what she was searching for.
Cig Harvey, MFA, is a passionate working fine-art photographer, book artist and educator who was named one of Photo District News’ “emerging 30” in 2005. Her images are held in numerous collections worldwide, including The International Museum of Photography at The George Eastman House, Rochester, NY and The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Texas. In addition to her fine art career, Cig is represented commercially by Marilyn Cadenbach and Associates, New York and LA, for whom she recently photographed the Kate Spade fall 2007 campaign. Her clients include Bloomingdales, Martha Stewart, O magazine and Ralph Lauren. Cig is a full time professor at The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University and teaches summer workshops in both Maine and Santa Fe. This is Cig’s second solo show at the Robin Rice Gallery.