Image above: © Tina West, EL PRIMER MANUSCRIPTO, 2011 / courtesy of Robin Rice Gallery
Images above: © Peru McCarra
Tina West’s newest exhibition You are Still a Work in Progress presents a series of dream-like still lives of objects in West’s personal collection, most of which were flea market, thrift store, and estate sale purchases.
Image above: © Tina West, THOUGHT IS THE ARCHITECT OF REALITY, 2015 / courtesy of Robin Rice Gallery
The muted tones, soft focus, and intricate light play that West uses evoke snippets of long-forgotten childhood memories that have only just resurfaced. The small “Do Not Disturb” sign in Constraint Inspires Creativity, sits propped against a wooden wall, like a foggy snapshot out of a dream. The stacked mirrored cubes in Fractal Grid reflect the numbers and Free Space on an old bingo card, creating a sense of nostalgia for the games we used to play in our youth. Unlike these shots of constructed realities, photos such as Sexualized Nature of Consumption and You Can Write My Autobiography but You Can’t Have My Soul are direct recreations of areas in West’s studio, offering the viewer small glimpses into the artist’s personal workspace.
Image above: © Tina West, MAXIMUM EFFECT OF DISPLACEMENT, 2015 / courtesy of Robin Rice Gallery
A wasp—the only living thing in this series—sits on the side of a glass jar in An Appreciation for the Imperfect and Impermanent, the work’s title implying that unlike living creatures, inanimate objects are immortal, perfect, and timeless.
Image above: © Tina West, HISTORY IS ABOUT CHANGE, 2015 / courtesy of Robin Rice Gallery
Tina West is a commercial American photographer from Kansas City who has lived in New York since 1989. She has worked for companies such as Citibank, Vintage Books, Scientific American Magazine, and Atlantic Records. All of the photographs in this exhibition were captured using a 4x5 camera and instant Fuji Film.
Image above: © Tina West, SEXUALIZED NATURE OF CONSUMPTION, 2015 / courtesy of Robin Rice Gallery
You are Still a Work in Progress will be on view at the Robin Rice Gallery until December 20, 2015.
Images above: © Peru McCarra