Snowbound & The Last Iceberg
Lisa M. Robinson and Camille Seaman
On view: January 19 – February 27, 2008
For five winters, the young American photographer Lisa M. Robinson made photographs in the snow. Snowbound depicts landscapes in which everyday objects-alienated and sunken in snow – civilize the natural surroundings. Traces of human existence set accents in the white landscape, delimiting it and often popping up in an amusing or incongruous way. A lonely hammock, a trampoline or swimming pool are echoes of both the summer past and of personal memories. But Lisa M. Robinson is not interested in showing the obvious; instead, the photographer makes use of the many aggregate states of water – ice, snow, fog, water – as metaphors for life and transience.
Lisa Robinson graduate cum laude from Columbia University, and received her MFA in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. After moving to NY, she became printing assistant for George Tice. Awards include a Fulbright Grant, as well as “Curator’s Choice” at Houston Center of Photography Membership Exhibition and “Top 50 Photographers” chosen by Critical Mass. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Light Work, and was recently selected as the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Fellow at the MacDowell Colony. Snowbound has been exhibited internationally in Argentina, Syria, Lithuania, Denmark, Uruguay, Chile and Bolivia. Her work is in such collections as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art; and Fidelity Investments. Lisa M. Robinson was recently nominated for a Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant.
The Last Iceberg, a series by Camille Seaman chronicles a handful of the many thousands of icebergs that are currently headed to their end. Seaman approaches the images of icebergs as portraits of individuals, much like family photos of her ancestors. She seeks a moment in their life in which they convey their unique personality, some connection to our own experience and a glimpse of their soul which endures. These images were made in both the Arctic regions of Svalbard, Greenland, and Antarctica.
Camille Seaman (Shinnecock Tribe b.1969) is an Award winning American photographer best known for her evocative Polar images. Capturing the essence of awe and beauty of indigenous cultures and environments, in a sophisticated documentary/fine art tradition is her trademark. Camille has traveled to over 30 countries creating timeless images. Seaman’s work has been exhibited and published in magazines internationally. Recent awards include an Artist in Residence onboard M/V Orlova in Antarctica, 2007, Critical Mass Top Monograph Book Award, 2006, & National Geographic Award, 2006. Her education includes Master Workshops with Steve McCurry, Sebastiao Salgado, Paul Fusco, Eli Reed and Donovan Wylie, Antonin Kratochvil. She has a BFA from State University of New York at Purchase.