*Joyce, Jon, Mo and Kuini*, 2011, pigment print, 76.2 x 86.4 cm, 30 x 34 in.
© Catherine Opie. Courtesy the artist, Regen Projects, Los Angeles and

Written by Ashley Mercado

Photo Edited by Christiana Nelson

When viewing Catherine Opie’s exhibition, To What We Think We Can Remember, a wave of nostalgia hits you. Although the nostalgia might not be connected to personal memories, Opie does an incredible job of capturing moments and creating a connection to the scene. You can feel these images’ backstories, which are captured in a few seconds but are part of a full-fledged story in Opie’s life.

Opie’s exhibition is a culmination of the past ten years of her life in the United States and Europe. The exhibition is a symbol of Opie’s reflections on her own life and the social, environmental, and political issues currently surrounding us as we find the strength to cope as a collective. Opie uses these images as a way to honor the memories that are attached, but she also reflects on how these photos, and photography in general, can create a fallacy, a fallacy of what was happening as you see the beauty within these images, which only triggers happy memories. Photos can sometimes rewrite memories and make you forget all the bad that was also happening when the photo was taken.

© Catherine Opie. Courtesy the artist, Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Thomas Dane Gallery.

Opie challenges us to look into the mirror of our true reality in the photo, Robert E. Lee Monument, Richmond, Virginia (2020). The words “We Are Your Mirror” are written in purple on a framed piece of paper. This photo was taken at a confederate monument that was removed in 2021. Facing yourself can be uncomfortable because you see all sides — the good, the bad, and the ugly — but it is necessary to exhibit change and genuine acceptance. It is the only way to continue moving forward regarding your growth as a human being. The photo, Edvard Munch's summer home, Asgardstrand, Norway, 2014, is a serene image depicting the view out of a window where we can see the backyard of Edvard Munch’s summer home in Norway. However, despite the sereneness that this image displays, the emptiness of the backyard serves as a symbol of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the decline of the human population since it began, as well as a symbol for the remembrance of childlike joy as we see the figure of a child standing in the backyard of this summer home. All while also standing as a reflection of Opie’s time at this home, where she viewed the world through her experiences there.

*Edvard Munch's summer home, Asgardstrand, Norway, 2014,* pigment print, 127 x 106.7 cm, 50 x 42 in.
© Catherine Opie. Courtesy the artist, Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Thomas Dane Gallery.

Photos like Fjord Flip, Picturing Rome, and Dover, England create a balance in Opie’s work. These photos present beautiful naturistic scenery that exudes freedom and peace. In a way, these photos balance out the hard-hitting themes that Opie presents in her work. They show the positives that the world has to offer, standing as a breath of fresh air from the environmental and political issues that we are currently plagued with. The photo Crater Lake, Oregon (2020) is another example of presenting one of the world’s many natural gifts that it has to offer us. Crater Lake is known for being the deepest lake in the United States. The number of animals and organisms that live in this lake or that existed in the past is fascinating when you think of this lake as home to a range of species that date back thousands of years.