Photographer Denise Prince

The Dinner Had Been Bought Ready-Made, in a Box Full of Shavings This piece is inspired by classic childhood literature as it relates to fantasy. The majority of my work recognizes that fantasy organizes our experience of everyday reality and tells us who we are. Childhood is like that as well. Our childhood tells us who we are. Art has a special ability to communicate the ways we understand and make sense of life. Ultimately, taking responsibility for life's pretends can lead to a return to the splendor. The title of this particular piece references a line in a favorite story, "Two Bad Mice" by Beatrix Potter.

I’m an Austin, Texas based artist who works in a variety of media including film, photography, and performance. Early on I was influenced by conceptual and critical theory at CalArts in Los Angeles but also held a commitment to work being accessible to all audiences. The key feature in all of my work whether it is working subtly or is explicit is the interpretation of meaning.

May the Weight of Love Temper You, Thrill You This work is inspired by classical painting and the work of Julia Margaret Cameron. The lush styling in my constructed portraits are part of my process of implying narrative. This is fundamental to the nature of photography as explained by this quote from Lucy Soutter, "Caught in a state of permanent suspense vis a vis events that have just happened or are about to take place, photographs contain essential seeds of narratives that can never come to fruition except in the imagination.”

Much like the language of advertising, I appreciate and play with what are normally hidden ideologies. I’m captivated by the way we read and make sense of the world around us without being consciously aware that we are making meaning. Society is organized into imaginary hierarchies we have been taught to read and signal so fluently we tend to believe they’re real. I like to point that out. Some work, as I said, points to that subtly. But it is what drives my art practice.

Object Lessons: Original painting produced for my exhibition of the same name. This work is about the formation of identity. It represents the playground of what we enjoy and is at times equally unwelcome about Desire /who we believe we are. Desire is the memory of the missing thing. The painting comes from my belief that taking responsibility for one's Desire is a central task of being an adult. Most of the figures come from vintage sewing pattern cover illustrations, except for the little girl standing in the gutter holding her tiny toothbrush who was inspired by a vintage paper doll set. Putting them in 1980's era Times Square was meant to compliment the storybook simplicity of these aspirational versions of women. It makes explicit that humans communicate as objects.

More info:

Website: http://deniseprince.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denise_prince_

Saatchiart: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/94190