Aperture Foundation is pleased to announce the exhibition and accompanying
publication of
Fieldwork, photographs by Finnish
rising star
Sanna Kannisto.
Fieldwork explores the
dialectics of nature and culture in both artistic and scientific contexts. Since
1997, Kannisto has spent several months per year living alongside biologists in
the rainforests of Latin America. Adopting elements of her companions’
scientific methods, she developed her own form of visual research, extending her
depictions of flora and fauna beyond the confines of the natural
sciences.
Breaking away from the conventions of nature photography, which typically
presents specimens in isolation, devoid of context, Kannisto’s work
addresses the acts of staging and image-making. Her photographs, with their
biologically correct titles, show not only the breathtaking beauty of her
subjects, but also the tools used to achieve the would-be image at
center—the black drapes, the difficult “neutral” lighting rig,
the seamless white background. Signs of a scientifically standardized
process—graph paper, rulers, test field markings—are also included,
appearing strangely out of place amid the lush green foliage of the
rainforest.
The core practice of the natural sciences is to collect in order to inspect
closely in the service of public knowledge. Collecting implies taming and
containment, traits shared to some extent by photography. With her gentle humor,
Kannisto recognizes and utilizes the constraints of science and art alike,
investigating the concept of truth in photography to challenge how we view and
“know” the natural
world.
Kannisto’s work references old botanical encyclopedias, early natural
history illustrations, traditional still life paintings, as well as
anthropology, studio portraiture, and staged photography. Steve Baker
contributes an excellent essay that addresses the representation and use of
animals in contemporary
art.
Fieldwork was made possible, in part, with generous support from the
Finnish National Council for Photographic Art. Additional support for the
exhibition was provided by FRAME (Finnish Fund for Art Exchange) and the
Consulate General of
Finland.
SANNA KANNISTO(born in Hämeenlinna, Finland, 1974)
studied photography at the Turku School of Art and Communication before
completing her MA in Photography at the University of Art and Design in
Helsinki. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York;
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris; Fotomuseum Winterthur,
Switzerland; and the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki. Kannisto is
represented by Gallery Taik, Berlin, and Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta. She lives in
Helsinki.
STEVE BAKER(essay) has written widely on the representation
and use of animals in contemporary art. He is the author of numerous books,
including
The Postmodern Animal and
Picturing the Beast: Animals,
Identity, and
Representation.
11 x 11 in. (27.9 x 27.9
cm)
160 pages plus 4 gatefolds; 100 four-color
images
Hardcover with jacket; ISBN
978-1-59711-152-2
$50.00;
£32.50
Aperture—located in New York’s Chelsea art
district—is a world-renowned non-profit publisher and exhibition space
dedicated to promoting photography in all its forms. Aperture was founded in
1952 by photographers Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, and Minor
White; historian Beaumont Newhall; and writer/curator Nancy Newhall, among
others. These visionaries created a new quarterly periodical,
Aperture
magazine, to foster both the development and the appreciation of the
photographic medium and its practitioners. In the 1960s, Aperture expanded to
include the publication of books (over five hundred to date) that comprise one
of the most comprehensive and innovative libraries in the history of photography
and art. Aperture’s programs now include artist lectures and panel
discussions, limited-edition photographs, and traveling exhibitions that show at
major museums and arts institutions in the U.S. and
internationally.
To Request a Review Copy or Artwork, please
contact:
Christina Caputo, Publicity and Events Manager, (212) 946-7123,
ccaputo@aperture.org
