Invited guest: Lori Nix

At sea

Tree house

"Lori Nix has lived most of her life in the rural Midwest, a place known for its bad weather and blue collar ideals. Her childhood was spent playing in open fields and witnessing countless storms and natural disasters, leaving her with a deep affection for the American landscape. This love of the land and sky in its endless variations, and a fascination with the absurdities of life has developed into a series of constructed environments that form the basis of her photographs. Cardboard, plaster, faux fur and latex paint are employed to create highly detailed dioramas for the camera that are at once familiar, but also slightly askew. Like a movie still, Nix’s photographs capture the drama mid-story and it’s up to the viewer to complete the narrative. The scenes are not a formal documentation of a place, but instead offer an innocent, yet quirky vision in such detail that the viewer can’t help but be drawn into the scene."

Bounty

"The series “Lost” (2003-2004) examines the feelings of isolation and loneliness. Festive lights on the shack in ‘Junkyard’ cannot override the occupant’s grim existence. The dog chained in the side yard barks anxiously at a suspicious car in the stacks, its lights mysteriously turned on."

Junkyard

"‘Parade’ shows a town coming together for a celebration. So why is everyone crammed into the travel agency? Where are they trying to go, or from what do they want to escape? The only remaining inhabitants on the street are the inflated balloons awaiting their big moment."

Parade

"Like much of her previous work, this group of photos blurs the line between truth and illusion. She subverts the traditions of landscape photography in order to create her own humorously dark world. Her photographs toy with romantic notions of landscape and her lush, rich color and theatrical lighting magnify a sense of isolation and melancholy. The obvious artificiality of the scenes does not diminish the tension created in the photographs. It is the ‘fake’ quality that enhances the enjoyment of the illusion."

Nevada

California Forrest Fire

Bird houses

-invited by Lina Nääs
-text and images © Lori Nix