Conversations with a Curator: Nature Morte
How does photography shape the human relationship with nature? Artists, cultural critics, historians, and scientists have been debating the death and rebirth of nature for over a century, as modernization and its proliferation of technological innovations infringe upon–and uphold–notions of the “natural.” The exhibition Nature Morte explores how the camera satisfies the human impulse to control, contain, and colonize nature.
In this interactive gallery talk, curator Georgia Erger examines how the concept of dead nature is intertwined with photography’s status as an artistic medium that stills life. Providing historical, social, and theoretical context to inform visitors’ understanding of the relationship between photography and nature, the talk will be interspersed with opportunities for audiences to question definitions of both photography and nature circulating among the exhibition’s images.
