The Secret Life of Objects traces the trajectory of Cumming’s work through several decades and focuses on his singular appreciation for the power of objects in art. Perception, language, and the nuances of photographic vision are common themes in the work, and his method of portraying the physically impossible so that it appears visually accurate has its roots in his early career as a painter, sculptor, performance artist, and mail artist. In his photographic work—the majority of which he made in Southern California during the 1970s—Cumming embraced the illusion and reality of the medium: that photographs can spin artifice regardless of how true they appear. By intentionally including studio lighting, wires, and messy elements of construction, or “a means by which one can unravel the fabrication,” he creates visual narratives that unfold over time.
“Robert Cumming has inspired conceptual artists and photographers through many mediums, especially the photographic work he made in Southern California in the 1970s,” said Sarah Bay Gachot, exhibition curator. “With a focus on this decade, The Secret Life of Objects abounds with Cumming’s photographs of ingenious fictions using mundane materials, as well as other non- photographic works: sculpture, mail art, printmaking, painting, and objects from the artist’s ongoing exploration of nautical architecture.”
Guest curator Sarah Bay Gachot, a writer, curator, artist, and teacher based in Los Angeles, has written and lectured about Cumming and his profound impact on the history of photography and the development of Conceptual art in the 1970s, and is considered to be the foremost expert on Robert Cumming.
Robert Cumming, The Secret Life of Objects
February 18 through May 28, 2017
George Eastman Museum
900 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14607
Etats-Unis
