The Burning of Visibility: From Reality to Dream

Photos by French Photographer Anne-Lise Large

 

On view July 3 - August 9, 2013

Opening Reception July 3, 2013 at 6pm

OAS | AMA F Street Gallery
1889 F St., NW (Corner of 18th Street)
Washington, DC 20006

Hours MON-FRI 9 AM-5 PM

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AMA | Art Museum of the Americas is proud to present three photographic series by renowned French photographer Anne-Lise Large; Lost Angels, Mythology, and Margins shot between the years 2009 and 2012. Large has resided in the United States for the past four years, providing for a unique perspective in her photographs, an outsider’s view into the depths of what constitutes “American Culture”, — ever evolving and reshaping itself — and its variety of people as seen by a modern day observer.

From New York to Los Angeles, San Francisco to Las Vegas, New Orleans to Washington, DC, The Burning of Visibility ventures beyond city to city ideals, breaking down and transforming what we see in our day to day truth and blending the line between what we dream and our realities. Viewers can expect to be transported to a place without a set standard reality.

The images displayed throughout the exhibition will portray individuals moving toward their own definition of progress. The subjects may be poor, disenfranchised or wonderers, but they live in a progressive land thatfails to define what this dream means to the whole, leaving each individual to make that definition for themselves, further diffusing what is meant by “American Culture”.

Lost Angels is the foundation of the exhibition, consisting of Ms. Large’s first photographs taken in the United States when she arrived four years ago. Her photographs expose the underbelly of our nation of dreamers, those struggling to obtain the promise that we all hope to achieve. Mythology attempts to portray the metamorphous of individuals as they transform into their character while Margins grounds us in a kind of time-space continuum reminding us of the influence of our surroundings.

Large understands the art of both the eye and the written word. She often pairs the two together in her work, explaining “photography shows what cannot be said and writing says what cannot be seen.” Photography remains the principle commitment of the artist — her photographs explore the boundaries of the medium. Comprised of mostly portraits, Large is gifted in capturing close and intimate encounters of strange and unsettling characters.

“All of these people — they are captured, but they are living,” explains Large. Through the exhibition, Large seeks to provide an in-depth and personal view into our collective perception of what it means to hope, dream and have aspirations in America.

The Artist

Born in 1982 in France, Anne-Lise Large is an internationally recognized photographer and professor of philosophy. She received a Doctorate in Philosophy and a Diploma from The Cinema and Photographic Department from the University of Strasbourg and Paris, France. In 2005, Anne-Lise Large created her first exhibition of photography, titled Ph(il/ot)o-graphie. Connecting photography with philosophy, the exhibit included photography paired with selected original writings of modern-day philosophers, creating a visual forum between photography, writing and philosophy, allowing for creative interpretation from all areas of thought.

To date, Anne-Lise has been selected for exhibition at national and international venues including the NKA gallery (Belgium), the French Institute of Dresden (Germany), the Gallery of François Miron during the “Month of Photography” in Paris, the Festival of Photojournalism of Angers (France) for her work on women in the city of Jerusalem titled, “On the other side”. In addition, Anne-Lise’s work was selected for exhibition at the Museum Of Photography André Villers (France) which included a published catalog prefaced by Hélène Cixous the famed French feminist writer. In 2012, Anne-Lise’s work was selected for exhibition at FotoWeek DC, one of the largest photography focused festivals in the United States.

Anne-Lise Large has traveled extensively throughout the United States in order to create her series Lost Angels and Mythology. She is a member of Gamma-Rapho Agency and currently resides in Washington DC where she is a Professor of Philosophy and Photography at the French International School. Anne-Lise has participated in conferences and workshops around the world to discuss the correlation between photography and philosophy.

For more information on Anne-Lise Large’s work, visit: www.anne-liselarge.com.