NYAB Event - Anna Collette "Invasive Species"

Anna Collette "Invasive Species"

This event has ended.
At Kris Graves Projects
Media: Photography

Anna Collette is a photographer who explores conflicted notions of the contemporary landscape. Her work began in 2002 with a series rendering urban and suburban environments that focused on how the natural world—and human expectations of it—is being redefined, both visually and metaphorically, by the failed idealism of increasing development.

There is a poetic sadness in this invasion that is not unfamiliar. Much like any invasion, it is violent, swift, and irreversible. The entire world depicted in these photographs has turned green – and while it appears quite peaceful and serene there is an underlying tension that consumes it. These plants were originally brought to the northeast for erosion control, but over the years have spread throughout the area and have taken over the native species. For support, they wrap their vines around the native plants, but this blocks the sunlight and their support system eventually dies.

Collette was born in Massachusetts in 1974. She received a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and an MFA from Yale University. She teaches photography at Purchase College, SUNY, and lives in New York City.