3:30PM
Jo Ann Callis, photographer and 2019 Photo LA Honoree, with independent curator Claudia Bohn-Spector, Rebecca Morse, Curator of Photography at LACMA, and artist Brandy Trigueros
Jo Ann Callis has long exploited the photographic process to narrative ends. Widely regarded for her conceptual images of people in mysterious settings, she has worked in photography, sculpture, painting, set design, and digital imagery. She uses the camera often, yet never pursues it as an end in itself, instead employing it as a studio tool to capture the pleasures and occasional uneasiness of domestic life. Her critically acclaimed pictures are both seductive and unnerving, tantalizing visions of interior states and astute reflections on cultural norms, that speak provocatively about female experience in the modern world.
The lively resurgence of Callis' mid-1970s images suggests that her creative preoccupations remain relevant and fresh to this day. The uneasy tensions, strange vibes and fetishistic delights conveyed in her work continue to inspire young image-makers and point to Callis' lasting impact on contemporary art. This panel, with curator Rebecca Morse and artist Brandy Trigueros, explores what Callis' work can tell us about womanhood and female art-making during a politically charged time in which her concerns appear as germane and compelling as ever.
