Catherine Opie

The American photographer Catherine Opie is one of the most prominent artists of her generation. Born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1961, Opie received a Kodak Instamatic from her parents on her ninth birthday. She immediately began to photograph her family and neighborhood, and her early pictures show a fascination and commitment to society that has continued until today.

The distinctive art of Catherine Opie is characterized by an exploration of the relationship between human and landscape, between art history’s iconic portraits and the strong personalities of contemporary times, and not least with her identification of self and sexuality. Often combining portraiture and landscape in her work, Opie explores how our identities are formed in relation to the places we inhabit and the communities of which we are a part. As no other photographer of her generation, Opie has represented communities never before given a voice.

Catherine Opie’s view on the world is generously shared with the audience in this exhibition, and her work will open up new conversations on how we organize our society and how we look at one another. The sensitive lens of the artist uniquely and appropriately launches a newly established emphasis on photography at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter.