In the 1960s, a group of artists began thinking about photography in a new way.
Largely unschooled in the medium and little concerned with its conventions, they saw it not as an end in itself but as a useful tool toward larger artistic goals.
The resulting work, with its often experimental feel, conceptual edge and appealing rawness, turned out to be some of the most influential art created in that roiling decade of cultural change and the period immediately afterward.
Some of the most significant examples of this photo-based work were highlighted in “The Last Picture Show: Artists Using Photography, 1960-1982,” a major traveling exhibition organized in 2003 by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
It included four selections by Laurie Simmons from 1978 and ’79, when she was first gaining attention. The New York City artist has remained a significant force, with works in major institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Eight of her latest works – all previously unshown anywhere – are featured in “The Boxes (Ardis Vinklers),” a thought-provoking exhibition concluding this weekend at the nationally respected Baldwin Gallery in Aspen.
Although Simmons presents a few fascinating twists in these new color Ciba- chrome photographs, she revisits much of the same territory she has so fruitfully explored for more than 25 years.
Perhaps most important, she explores the very nature of photography, which both captures reality and simultaneously distorts it, however subtly, and inevitably separates viewers from it as much it brings them closer to it.
Simmons adds a layer of distance by constructing tiny models or sets, which she has populated with various kinds of dolls and, in this latest body of work, even magazine cutouts of fashionable figures (both drawings and photographs).
Unlike German artist Thomas Demand, who essentially tricks viewers with photographs of models built with such intricate detail that they look exactly like the real-life setting, Simmons does not try to hide the fact that her photographs are staged.
In fact, she revels in their theatrical quality. She is, in many ways, like a puppeteer who manages to suspend viewers’ disbelief by persuading them to read human qualities and emotions into her figures and react to the lifelike relationships and encounters she sets up.
Perhaps the most compelling among this latest group of photographs is “The Boxes (Ardis Vinklers) Library Detail #2,” a 30-by-38-inch image of a blue toy figure of a uniformed man posed near a cut-out of a drawing of an alluring woman with a low-cut dress.
But we perceive this scene as anything but two inanimate objects. Instead, we see this scene through a human sociological prism, perceiving a look of surprise and perhaps even anxiety on his face as he peers from behind a chair at the woman.
Contributing yet another dimension to these latest works is Simmons’ clever appropriation and reuse of three tableau assemblages – a library, ballroom and art gallery – constructed in the 1920s by little-known Latvian artist Ardis Vinklers.
She lights these settings and photographs them with such skill that even when devoid of figures they are still engaging, as evidenced by “The Boxes (Ardis Vinklers) Gallery Empty.”
Enhancing this exhibition, especially for viewers who might not be familiar with Simmons’ work, is a second room with a selection of nine older photographs from the 1980s and ’90s that provide a helpful context for these latest creations.
Opening July 29 and running through Sept. 5 will be “Adam Fuss: Mask,” a group of new photographs by the noted English-born artist exploring African masks and elements of ritual performance, hidden identity, and transformation associated with them.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
“The Boxes (Ardis Vinklers)”
Through Sunday|Photographs by Laurie Simmons|Baldwin Gallery, 209 S. Galena St., Aspen|Free|10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays (970-920-9797 or baldwingallery.com)
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“Rolling Thunder” An opening reception for an exhibit of modern and contemporary Plains Indian art runs 6-9 tonight at Foothills Art Center, 809 15th St., Golden. 303-279-3922; foothillsartcenter.org.
“Treasure Island” Veteran Denver artist Bethany Kriegsman is featured in this solo showcase, continuing through July 30 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee St. 303-893-2360 or williamhavugallery.com.
“Summer Showcase” An installation, murals and digital filmworks by area youth can be seen in this show, which opens with a 4:30-8:30 p.m. reception today at PlatteForum, 1610 Little Raven St. 303-893-0791 or platteforum.org.
-Kyle MacMillan
