Ri Anderson, Boston, USA
USD$1200 each.
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Dead Bodies: A Travel Portfolio weaves together elements of the murder mystery with self-portraiture, landscape and travel snapshots. I am interested in the intersection of fine art and vernacular photography, our cultural fascinations with representations of the landscape and the female figure, and with the fictionalization of violence, crime and death.
In the spring of 1998 I turned my camera on myself. Combining photography’s documentary nature with its conceptual possibilities, I began to juggle connotations of desire and fear, beauty and horror, voyeurism and objectification, unease and humor, to construct fictional sets for murder mysteries. I based this series loosely on Cindy Sherman’s Film Stills — but chose to create tableaux not to be read as moments just before or in the midst of a film-like narrative (as Sherman did) but always to be read as moments just after a narrative occurred. And I chose to heighten the absurdity of that narrative by portraying a myriad of unsolvable scenarios, the fictionalization of which is made obvious by the recurrence of the same supposed dead body.
These photographs were made in the course of three years, particularly when I traveled throughout the southwestern United States. They contain elements of my life in that they include friends, people whom I met along my travels, and places where I vacationed. However, any reading into the identity of the characters is prevented both by the staged nature of the sets, and in particular the main character’s anonymity created by the costume of both her recurring cocktail dress and her recurring state of demise. I have intentionally heightened the interplay between fact and fiction in this series to call into question ways of viewing and interpreting photographic representations.
All images were made with a view camera and printed as silver gelatin prints.
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ARTIST BIO:
I was born in Boston MA, the daughter of an itinerant ecumenical minister and literary mother. Moving from one town to another every year or two left me with both a compulsion for and fascination with filling in gaps of memory, and finding the fantastical in the ordinary. In my artwork I am interested in things left behind, and reinterpreting ordinary events and rites of passage.
With a BA in philosophy and linguistics, I went on to Massachusetts College of Art where I received my MFA with a concentration in photography. There I studied with Abelardo Morrell, Laura McPhee, Frank Golke, and Nick Nixon. I taught at a variety of universities and schools including Massachusetts College of Art, Boston Photo Collaborative, and the DeCordova Museum School.
In 2005 I moved with my first daughter to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and here gave birth to my second daughter. I have been living in Mexico ever since where I am raising my daughters and working as a master printer, a designer and producer of custom made wall coverings and lampshades, and teaching both digital and analogue photography. And, I am a member of a performing aerial circus troupe, Gravityworks.
I continue to produce new work which is shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout Mexico, the United States of America, Canada, China, and which has been featured in publications from the UK, Australia, and North America.
EDUCATION
2005 Massachusetts College of Art + Design, Boston, MA, USA | MFA, Photography
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 Galería Intersección, San Miguel de Allende, Gto. MX | Ri Anderson
2017 Museo de la Ciudad de Querétaro, Qro. MX | Sangre de mi Sangre
2015 Bellas Artes El Nigromante, SMA, Gto. MX | Sangre de mi Sangre
2014 Griffin Museum of Photography at Digital Silver Imaging, Belmont, MA USA | Mexican Parlour Games/Secret Sibling World
Gallery Nord, San Antonio, TX USA | Ri Anderson
2012 Galeria 6, Mineral de Pozos, Gto. MX | Ri Anderson
2005 La Petite Mort Gallery, Ottawa, On. Canada | Ri Anderson
Photographic Resource Center, Boston, MA USA | NEO: Northeast Exposure Online www.bu.edu/prc/anderson.html
Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA USA | MFA Thesis Exhibition 2004 Essex Art Center, Lawrence, MA USA | Ri Anderson
2002 Studio Soto, Boston, MA USA | Ri Anderson: Recent Work
2000 DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA USA | 2000 DeCordova Annual Exhibition
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018 DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA USA | Lived Space: Humans and Architecture
La Huipilista Artspace, San Miguel de Allende, Gto. MX | Take a Chair Collective
PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT USA | Myths, Legends, and Dreams, juror Amy Holmes George
2017 Pingyao International Photography Festival 2017, Pingyao, China | Old School New School
2016 Studio Soto, Boston, MA USA | Lunenburg
2013 Galeria 6, Mineral de Pozos, Gto. MX | Mellow Yellow Pink Trapeze
2009 Photographic Resource Center, Boston, MA USA | First Annual Photographic Resource Center Juried Publication Dana Faconti, juror
2008 Trustman Art Gallery @ Simmons College, Boston, MA USA | Uncommon Denominator, Photography
2007 Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA USA | In Sights: Photography by Award-Winning Massachusetts Artists Cushing-Martin Gallery, Stonehill College, Easton, MA USA | Staged: Constructed Narrative in Contemporary Photography
2006-07 DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA USA | Approaches to Narrative
2006 Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA USA | 12th Juried Exhibition Bonni Benrubi, juror
Photographic Resource Center, Boston, MA USA | PRC Members’ Exhibition, Jeanine Fijol, Photo District News, juror
Studio Soto, Boston, MA USA | Lunenburg Revisited
2005 Flying Space, Sag Harbor, NY USA | Bedtime Stories, Invitational Group Show
Doran Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA USA | Stranger Than Fiction 2004 Doran Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA USA | Unsettled Domisticities Fort Point Art Community (FPAC) Gallery, Boston, MA USA | Open Studios Group Show
Doran Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA USA | Project Pittsfield 2002 Fuller Museum of Art , Brockton, MA USA | Almost Home
DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA USA | Alone: Images of Isolation from the Permanent Collection Studio Soto, Boston, MA USA | Tainted Love
New England School of Art & Design, Boston, MA USA | Digital City: New Squirts for Now People
2001 Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, MA USA | Boston Drawing Project Inaugural Exhibition
Gallery @ Green Street, Boston, MA USA | 150 x 150
Lillian Immig Gallery, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA USA | Pinhole Madness
Copley Society, Boston, MA USA | Manifest 2001: A Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Photography
2000 Contemporary Artists Center, North Adams, MA USA | What’s the Big Idea? Studio Soto, Boston, MA USA | The I of the Beholder: Objectifying the Self
1999 Federal Reserve Bank Gallery, Boston, MA USA | Cambridge Art Association National Prize Show 1998 Kingston Gallery, Boston, MA USA | NewArt ‘98
Viridian Artists, New York, NY USA | Viridian Ninth Annual National Exhibition
Copley Society of Boston, Boston, MA USA | Manifest ’98: A Biennial Survey of Contemporary Visual Art 1997 Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA USA | Fin de Siecle: Trends of the Nineties
Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, MA USA | In Dialogue: New England Women and Photography
Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA USA | The Art of Love
Midtown Plaza Galleries, Atlanta, GA USA | Revealing Regionalism: Contemporary Documentary Photography
1995 Copley Society of Boston, Boston, MA USA | Manifest 95: Exploring the Non-Traditional Visual Arts
PUBLICATIONS
2018 Myths, Legends, and Dreams Catalogue (USA) | Essay by Amy Holmes George 2017 Printmaking Today (UK) | ‘Sweat Drawings’ Ri Anderson
BETA – Developments in Photography Issue 22 – pages 38-57 (Australia) | ‘Sweat Drawings’ Ri Anderson
Pingyao International Photography Festival Catalogue (China) | Old School/New School 2005 MFA Thesis Exhibition Catalogue (USA) | Ri Anderson
2000 DeCordova Annual Exhibition Catalogue (USA) | Ri Anderson
PRESS
2017 Atención San Miguel (January 20) | The Digital Embroidery of Ri Anderson: Blood of My Blood by Valerie Mejer 2016 Atención San Miguel (March 11) | Matrilineages by Raisha Andeferg
2015 Atención San Miguel (April 17) | Blood of My Blood by Nicole Findlay
2014 Atención San Miguel (March 13) | Explorations of the Sacred and Profane by Nicole Findlay
2013 Atención San Miguel (July) | Mellow Yellow Pink Trapeze by Nick Hamblen
2012 Atención San Miguel (Aug. 31-Sept. 5) | Ri Anderson & Larimer Richards at Galería 6 by Nick Hamblen 2005 Ottawa Xpress (Dec. 1) | Death Becomes Her: Ri Anderson at La Petite Mort by Dale Smith
Boston Globe (May 6) | 5 Degrees of Inspiration by Cate McQuaid 2002 Art New England (Oct/Nov) | Photography by Emily Belz
Art New England (Aug/Sept) | Studio Soto/Boston Ri Anderson: Recent Work by Lisa Amato
Boston Herald (June 7) | Photo Exhibit Makes You Feel at ‘Home’ by Joanne Silver 2001 Boston Globe (Sept. 27) | Pinhole Vision by Cate McQuaid
2000 Time Out New York (Aug. 10-17) | Small Town Color by Valerie Stivers
Boston Sunday Globe (July 23) | Art’s the Big Idea in North Adams by Cate McQuaid
The Advocate Williamstown & N. Adams (July 12) | What Happens When Artists Interact With a Berkshire city? By Mark E. Rondeau The Advocate (July 12) | Visiting Artists Express Their Impressions of North Adams by Mark E. Rondeau
Harvard Post (June 30) | Museums by Kathryn Liebowitz
Boston Globe (June 23) | Disparate Solo Shows Strong at DeCordova: Murder, Ants & Clay Mutants at DeCordova Museum by Cate McQuaid
Worcester Phoenix (June 2) | Bug-eyed: The Insect makes its Debut at DeCordova’s Annual Exhibition by Leon Nigrosh Framingham Metrowest Daily News (June 1) | Art all Over by Naomi R. Kooker
Boston Herald (May 26) | Babies and Beehives Create Buzz at DeCordova Show by Joanne Silver
Boston Sunday Globe (May 14)
1997 Art Papers (Sept/Oct) | Revealing Regionalism by Susan Todd-Raque Atlanta Magazine (June) | Not a Pretty Picture by Lee Walburn
MUSEUM PERMANENT COLLECTION
DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park | Lincoln, MA USA
AWARDS
2016 Critical Mass Finalist
2011 Critical Mass Finalist
2007 Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant Finalist, Photography
2006 Critical Mass Finalist
2004 New York Times Magazine Student Photography Finalist
1997 Best of Show, The Art of Love, Bernard Toale juror
1996 Ernst Haas Golden Light Award Honorable Mention, Top 100 Photographers 1995 Jean and Kahlil Gibran Award, Copley Society of Boston
TEACHING
2018 Instructor, Photoshop Laboratory | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico 2017 Instructor, Self-Portraits as Birds | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico Instructor, Self-Portraits as Bugs | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico
2016 Instructor, Manifesting Your Inner Vision Through Photography | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico Instructor, Basic Black and White Darkroom | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico
Instructor, Pinholes & Photograms | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico
2006 San Miguel Workshops – Instructor, Basic Photography | San Miguel de Allende, Gto., Mexico
2005 Massachusetts College of Art – Instructor, Intermediate Black and White Photography | Boston, MA
Massachusetts College of Art – Guest Instructor, Introduction to Digital Photography | Boston, MA 2004 Massachusetts College of Art – Teaching Assistant, View Camera with Nick Nixon | Boston, MA
Massachusetts College of Art – Teaching Assistant, Visual Language with Sarah Bapst | Boston, MA
1998-02 DeCordova Museum School of Art – Instructor, Adult Basic Photography, Beyond Basics, Portraiture | Lincoln, MA
1999-00 Boston Photography Collaborative – Instructor, Introduction to Black and White Darkroom | Boston, MA
1997 Harvard University Extension School – Teaching Assistant, Documentary Photography with Jack Leuders-Booth | Cambridge, MA
Radcliffe College – Instructor, Black and White Darkroom | Cambridge, MA
VISITING ARTIST LECTURES
2017 Pingyao International Photography Festival – Artist Talk, Old School/New School 2005 Massachusetts College of Art – Artist Talk, The Contemporary Portrait | Boston, MA 2001 Emmanuel College – Guest Speaker, Pinhole Madness | Boston, MA
2000 DeCordova Museum – Artist Talk, 2000 DeCordova Annual Exhibition | Lincoln, MA
Tufts University – Guest Speaker, Beginning Photography | Medford, MA
1999 University of Massachusetts – Guest Speaker, Black and White Photography | Lowell, MA
PRESS