Diaries of Home

The artists in this exhibition challenge documentary photography by pushing it into conceptual, performative, and theatrical realms. They probe preconceptions about domestic, familial, and communal spaces in the United States, often considered feminine. Such environments and their relationship to to feminism and feminist art have a history dating back to the 1970s—especially in photography, where women artists have been among the strongest voices.

The artists in Diaries of Home use the vernacular of documentary photography, which creates an immediate sense of familiarity and understanding. Yet, the works subvert the implied truthfulness of the imagery by exploring the medium’s inherent subjectivity through enticing fiction and drama, or by magnifying everyday affairs. The affection, kinship, hardship, and deeply intimate narratives captured lend a diaristic quality to the photographs, creating a conceptual focal point that inspired the exhibition’s title.

Diaries of Home features a diverse, multi-generational group of artists with various photographic processes, ranging from printed images to slides and video. Patty Chang, Jess T. Dugan, LaToya RubyFrazier, Nan Goldin, Debbie Grossman, Letitia Huckaby, Deana Lawson,Laura Letinsky, Sally Mann, ArleneMejorado, Laurie Simmons, and Carrie Mae Weems use themselves and others as center points to explorevarious social relations in and outside of the home. The resulting imagery that gives shape toDiaries of Homecaptures thepsychological interiority,thecomplex family dynamics, and the inconsequential and profoundmoments of daily routine—all aspects that compose a life’s journey. The exhibition is co-curated by ChiefCurator Andrea Karnes and Assistant Curator Clare Milliken.

The exhibition will be on view through February 2, 2025.

Photography Courtesy of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth