Zoe Leonard

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Zoe Leonard (* 1961 in Liberty , New York ) is an American artist who works with the means of photography and installation . Leonard's works are counted as feminist art .

life and work

After Zoe Leonard's future mother fled Poland , she and her husband immigrated to the USA, where Zoe Leonard was born in a small town in New York State . After the parents' divorce, Zoe and her brother grew up with her mother. Although the family had little money, Leonard was able to travel a lot as a child because her mother worked on the ground at TWA . Zoe Leonard dropped out of high school at the age of 15 . In 1977, at the age of 16, she borrowed her mother's Rollei 35 and began taking photos. After the Rollei went missing, she bought her first own camera. She traveled extensively and worked in a number of odd jobs such as waitress, clerk, stripper, prostitute, gallery assistant, model, and construction worker. Photography was the only constant. Since then, Leonard has always had a camera with him and her photos are often taken from everyday situations or while passing by. Leonard wrote about her coming out in 1994 :

“I've had to come out. No straight person knows about coming out. I've had to find a desire inside myself and follow it, even though it goes against the grain of all the social patterns around me. That process of discovering, examining and trusting my own desire is formative. "

“I had to come out. No straight man can understand that. I had to find this desire within myself and follow it, even if it went against all social patterns around me. This process of discovery, investigation and trust in one's own desires was formative for me. "

- Zoe Leonard

With two friends she founded the artist group Fierce Pussy , with which she publicly protested against discrimination against homosexuals. She was also involved in the Act Up group , which campaigned against the stigma of people with AIDS .

At the age of 31, Leonard achieved her first major success in the art world with her participation in Documenta IX in 1992 . In the Neue Galerie in Kassel , Leonard took all the historical pictures from the walls, which only showed men. In their place she hung large-format black and white pictures of the genitals of six women that Leonard himself had photographed. These photographs now contrasted with the remaining Rococo images of women.

After her first participation in Documenta, Leonard moved away from photography for several years and towards object art and installation. After a close friend died in 1992, she began over five years to peel the peel of bananas, oranges, grapefruit, lemons and avocados, to dry them, to stuff them with wax and plastic and then to use a needle and thread, buttons, wire, and glue to reseal. The work, entitled Strange Fruit (for David) , was purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1998 .

In 1997 she took part in the prestigious Whitney Biennial art exhibition with the work The Fae Richards Archive . Together with filmmaker Cheryl Dunye , she presented the photo archive of a fictional black and lesbian actress. The work then became part of the film Watermelon Woman , which was sponsored by the NEA , and for this was sharply attacked by the religious right, especially Jesse Helms .

In 2007 Leonard was invited again to the Documenta in Kassel, where her 40-part work Analogue (1998–2007) was shown. For nine years she had photographed the windows of small shops on the Lower East Side , where the effort of the shopkeepers can be seen in their optimism and their hopelessness. In 2009, the Munich Pinakothek der Moderne acquired a complete edition of Analogue with funds from its friends' association . Analogue is also owned by the New York Public Library . Leonard lives and works in New York .

"[But] my work is absolutely grounded in a certain formal approach. These aren't drawings. They're not paintings. These are photographs. I want the viewer to be aware of that. That's why I always print full frame. If there's a scratch on the negative, I leave it there. The roughness in my prints is my way of letting the viewer into my process, the process of photography. I think that photography has been considered a poor relation to fine arts for far too long. The highest compliment you could pay a photographer is to say, 'Your work is so painterly'. If I wanted to paint, I would paint. My work is about taking pictures, using a camera to observe what's out in the world. So I present them very much as they happen in the camera: they're not matted, they're not framed, they're not cropped. "

“Of course, I follow a formal procedure with my work. These are not drawings. These are not paintings either. These are photographs. I want the viewer to be aware of this. That is why my prints always contain the complete negative. If there is a scratch on the negative, it will remain visible. Due to the unpolishedness of my prints, the viewer should participate in my process, the process of photography. I think photography has been the fine arts stepsister for far too long. The biggest compliment you could give a photographer was saying, 'Your work is like a painting.' If I wanted to paint, I would paint. My work is about taking pictures, observing with the camera what is going on in the world. And I present these observations as they emerged in the camera: they are not matted, they are not framed, and they are not cropped. "

- Zoe Leonard

In 2014 Leonard received the Bucksbaum Award .

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selection)

Participation in group exhibitions (selection)

  • 2008: Ad Absurdum - Energies of the Absurd from Classical Modernism to the Present. MARTa Herford .
  • 2008: Archive Fever: Uses of the Document in Contemporary Art. International Center of Photography, New York City.
  • 2007: Oh Girl, It's a Boy! Art Association Munich .
  • 2007: documenta 12 , Kassel. The work Analogue (1998-2007) was shown.
  • 2007: BODYPOLITCX. Witte de With , Rotterdam.
  • 2007: Normal Love. Precarious sex, precarious work. Künstlerhaus Bethanien , Berlin.
  • 2006: The eighth field - genders, life and desire in the visual arts since 1960. Museum Ludwig , Cologne.
  • 2005: The New City. Sub / Urbia in Recent Photography. Whitney Museum , New York. Parts of the work Analogue (1998-2005) were shown.
  • 2004: shortly thereafter. Photographic collection / SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne .
  • 2003: A Clear Vision: Photographic Works from the FC Gundlach Collection. Deichtorhallen , Hamburg.
  • 2003: Phantom of Lust. Visions of Masochism in Art. New Gallery Graz .
  • 2001: doublelife - Identity and Transformation in Contemporary Art. Generali Foundation , Vienna.
  • 2000: Vanitas. Meditations on Life and Death In Contemporary Art. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond , VA.
  • 1999: No Quarter Given. Images of Violence in Contemporary Art. Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló, Castellón de la Plana .
  • 1999: Gender Unease / Gender Trouble. New Aachen Art Association .
  • 1998–2001: Veronica's Revenge - Contemporary Perspectives on Photography. Conceived in the Center d'art contemporain Geneva , then shown among others in the Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, and in the Museum of Contemporary Art , Sydney.
  • 1998–1999: fast forward - BODY CHECK. Art Association in Hamburg .
  • 1997: Whitney Biennial. Whitney Museum , New York.
  • 1992: Documenta IX , Kassel

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Holland Cotter: Art after Stonewall: 12 Artists Interviewed . In: Art in America , Vol. 82, No. 6, June 1994, Retrieved July 8, 2008
  2. ↑ a b Laura Cottingham: Interview with Zoe Leonard in the Journal of Contemporary Art.
  3. ↑ Stuart Morgan: Documenta IX, Body Language ( Memento of the original from December 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Frieze Art Magazine , No. 6 September-October 1992 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.frieze.com
  4. ^ A b New Work by Contemporary Artist Zoe Leonard. Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 1 - September 6, 1998. Curated by Ann Temkin. Catalog entitled Strange Fruit published by Paula Cooper Gallery, New York 1995. ISBN XXX. Available online (Retrieved July 8, 2008)
  5. ^ Adrian Searle: Nowhere to Run ( Memento of the original from March 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Frieze Art Magazine , No. 34, May 1997 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.frieze.com
  6. ↑ Let's party for a piece of art ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pin-freunde.de archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Communication from the Friends of the Pinakothek der Moderne on November 28, 2009.
  7. ^ Zoe Leonard at the New York Public Library.
  8. ^ Zoe Leonard. Photographs in the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, from April 2 to July 5, 2009.
  9. ^ Zoe Leonard - Photographs. Fotomuseum Winterthur, December 1, 2007 - February 17, 2008. Curated by Urs Stahel. Catalog published by Steidl, Göttingen 2007. ISBN 978-3-86521-661-8 . Available online ( memento of the original dated June 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fotomuseum.ch
  10. ^ Zoe Leonard - Analogue. Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus OH, May 12 - August 12, 2007. Curated by Helen Molesworth. Catalog published by MIT Press, Cambridge MA 2007. ISBN 0-262-12295-2 . Available online ( memento of the original dated May 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wexarts.org
  11. ^ Zoe Leonard. Lounge of the Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art, New York City, January 14 - February 15, 2003. Available online (Retrieved July 2, 2008.)
  12. ^ Zoe Leonard - photography. Centrum Sztuki Wspólczesnej Warsaw, September 18 - November 7, 1999. Curated by Milada Slizinska. Available online (Retrieved July 2, 2008)
  13. ↑ ZOE LEONARD. Wiener Secession, July 23 - September 14, 1997. Catalog published by Wiener Secession, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-900803-93-5 . Available online ( memento of the original dated June 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 8, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.secession.at
  14. ^ Zoe Leonard. Kunsthalle Basel, 1997. Catalog published by Schwabe, Basel 1997. ISBN 978-3-7965-1385-5 .
  15. ^ Zoe Leonard. Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne, April 24 - May 30, 1998. Available online ( memento of the original from October 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.galerie-capitain.com
  16. ↑ Ad absurdum. MARTa Herford, April 19 - July 27, 2008. Curated by Jan Hoet . Catalog published by Kerber, Bielefeld 2008. ISBN 3-86678-130-X . Available online (Retrieved July 2, 2008)
  17. ^ Archive Fever. International Center of Photography New York, January 18 - May 4, 2008. Curated by Okwui Enwezor . Catalog published by Steidl / ICP, New York 2008. ISBN 3-86521-622-6 . Available online ( memento of the original from July 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.icp.org
  18. ↑ Oh Girl, It's a Boy! Kunstverein Munich, October 20 - November 25, 2007. Curated by Henrik Olesen. Available online (Retrieved July 2, 2008)
  19. ↑ documenta 12. Kassel. June 16 - September 23, 2007. About the works by Zoe Leonard shown on the official documenta blog: Available online ( Memento of the original from June 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.documenta12blog.de
  20. ↑ BODYPOLITCX. Witte de With, Rotterdam, September 8 - December 16, 2007. Curated by Florian Waldvogel and Thomas Edlinger. Catalog published by WdW Publishers, Rotterdam 2007. ISBN 90-73362-77-6 . BODYPOLITCX ( July 18, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive ) (Retrieved July 2, 2008.)
  21. ↑ Normal Love. Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, January 19 - March 4, 2007. Curated by Renate Lorenz. Catalog published by b_books, Berlin 2007. ISBN 3-933557-72-0 . Available online ( memento of the original from September 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 7, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bethanien.de
  22. ↑ The eighth field. Museum Ludwig, Cologne, August 19 - November 12, 2006. Catalog published by Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern 2006. ISBN 3-7757-1829-X . Available online ( memento of the original dated February 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 4, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.museenkoeln.de
  23. ^ The New City. Whitney Museum, New York, September 30, 2005 - January 15, 2006. Review in NYT (Retrieved July 7, 2008.)
  24. ↑ shortly thereafter. Photographische Sammlung / SK Stiftung Kultur, October 22, 2004 - January 9, 2005. Curated by Wilhelm Schürmann. Catalog published by SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-86588-024-X . Available online  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 4, 2008.)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.sk-kultur.de  
  25. ^ A Clear Vision. Deichtorhallen Hamburg, October 29, 2003 - February 1, 2004. Curated by Zdenek Felix . Catalog published by Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit 2003. ISBN 3-7757-1398-0 . Available online ( memento of the original dated May 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 4, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.deichtorhallen.de
  26. ↑ Phantom of Lust. Neue Galerie Graz at the Landesmuseum Joanneum, April 26th - August 24th 2003. Curated by Peter Weibel . Catalog published by Belleville Verlag, Munich 2003. ISBN 3-936298-24-6 . Available online (Retrieved July 7, 2008)
  27. ↑ doublelife. Generali Foundation Vienna, May 11th - August 12th 2001. Curated by Sabine Breitwieser and Hemma Schmutz. Catalog published by König, Cologne 2001. ISBN 3-88375-510-9 . Available online ( memento of the original dated February 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 3, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / gf-echt.primary.at
  28. ↑ Vanitas. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond VA, April 4-June 18, 2000. Curated by John B. Ravenal. Catalog published by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond 2000. ISBN 0-917046-55-2 . Available online ( memento of the original dated February 6, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 7, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vmfa.state.va.us
  29. ^ No Quarter Given / A sang i foc. Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló, October 14 - December 5, 1999. Catalog published by Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló, 1999. ISBN 84-482-2265-2 . Available online ( memento of the original dated December 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 3, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eacc.es
  30. ↑ Gender discomfort / gender trouble. Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, May 30th - July 11th 1999. Curated by Gisela Theising and Lutz Hieber. Available online  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 3, 2008.)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.neueraachenerkunstverein.de  
  31. ↑ VERONICA'S REVENGE - the collection Lambert, Geneva. Photography in the spirit of conceptual art. 300 recordings, many of them from the 1990s. Deichtorhallen. February 27 - June 1, 1998.
  32. ↑ Veronica's Revenge. Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, November 16, 2000 - March 4, 2001. Catalog published by Scalo Verlag, Zurich 1998. ISBN 3-931141-78-0 . Available online ( memento of the original from July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Retrieved July 2, 2008.) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mca.com.au
  33. ↑ fast forward - BODY CHECK. Kunstverein in Hamburg, September 11th - November 8th, 1998. Available online (Retrieved July 3, 2008.)
  34. ^ Whitney Biennial. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March-June 1, 1997. Curated by Lisa Phillips. Catalog published by Abrams, New York 1997. ISBN 0-8109-6825-8 .
personal data
SURNAME Leonard, Zoe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American photographer and artist
DATE OF BIRTH 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Liberty (New York)