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Architectural elements: Francesca Woodman. "Francesca Woodman," Gagosian, New York.

L to R: "Untitled," c. 1975-78, 5 5/8 x 5 11/16 in. / Group: "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/4 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/4 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 5/16 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. All artworks by Francesca Woodman. All gelatin silver prints. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
L to R: "Untitled," c. 1975-78, 5 5/8 x 5 11/16 in. / Group: "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/4 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in.; "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/4 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 5/16 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. / "Untitled," c. 1977-78, 8 x 7 3/8 in. All artworks by Francesca Woodman. All gelatin silver prints. © Woodman Family Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Gagosian Gallery
555 West 24th Street, New York
through April 27

In the current exhibition at Gagosian, works presented thematically and serially, including Blueprint for a Temple (II), draw attention to Francesca Woodman’s years-long exploration of the figure in space. Using objects such as chairs and plinths along with architectural elements including doorways, walls, and windows, Woodman staged contrasts with the performative presence of figures in her photographs, presenting the body itself as sculpture.

In a recent interview in Gagosian Quarterly, photo historian and curator of the landmark 2011/2012 survey exhibition of Woodman’s work at SFMOMA and the Guggenheim, Corey Keller, discusses how the works on view have prompted new ways of understanding Woodman’s photographs. “ . . . [Y]ou start to see connections across pictures that you might have missed otherwise . . . The pedestal, for example: there are plinths in many of the works, from different groupings, that when you see them individually read like abstract shapes, but when you see the same pictures next to other works, the shapes are clearly pedestals. So now I see in one of those works not a figure lying on the floor next to a rectangular box but a figure who has fallen off a pedestal. Putting work you know in new combinations makes you view the same photographs through a totally different perspective.”

Please click on the links to learn more about the exhibition and to read Keller’s entire interview.

Click on the image above for a complete gallery view and details.

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