Photo finish: Liz Deschenes’ conceptual images take over the ICA in Boston
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

‘In terms of conceptual art, any conceptual artist would laugh. They would say that conceptualism lasted a very short time and that was in the 1960s,' says artist Liz Deschenes, ‘I was born in 1966, so I totally missed it!’ Photography has always been a pluralistic discipline, but it hasn’t been historicised in this way. Deschenes’ photographs follow more in line with process and presentation than genre or subject – or rather, typical delineations of the medium. ‘It’s often thought to be this or that, i.e. analog or digital, colour or black-and-white,’ she explains, ‘I don’t find those binaries to be as compelling as the medium is.’
Now 50, the beloved new wave photographer, who has received comparisons to Moholy-Nagy and James Welling, is finally receiving her first mid-career survey at the Diller, Scofidio + Renfro-designed Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, the city which she was born.
‘The site is tremendous, right on the water,’ she exclaims, ‘As important as a site is, sites are flexible. I’m interested in the conditions of display. Often times people think the way things get displayed are static. It’s not.’
Seeing as presentation concerns inform much of these meditative and physical works, the show isn’t merely a bunch of pretty photographs hung on the wall. The ICA exhibition traces Deschenes’ work from 1997 and eschews any chronological narrative, a conscientious decision arrived at from dialogues between her and curator Eva Respini. Deschenes has taken advantage of what she calls ‘the flexibility and dynamism’ of the institution to offer a ‘highly selected groupings of work’, even finishing the show with a site-specific series for the museum’s Founders Gallery.
Her works stand out, quite literally – many of her photogram works, such as Tilt / Swing, Gallery 7 and Gallery 4.1.1., rise from the ground as freestanding objects while unravelling the layers of what have been imposed as the defining components of photography (e.g. light, frame, subject, contrast, etc). Deschenes also often forgoes the usage of a camera, just relying on natural sun or moonlight instead.
Deschenes offers luminous and reflective works – literally – wherein they mirror both what’s in front and behind them. For the show’s finale, the series Timelines, 11-part silver-toned photograms act as two-way seeing devices and are hung directly onto the gallery’s glass walls, overlooking Boston’s busy port, ascending or descending depending on the vantage point. ‘The work obstructs the view but it also reveals a different view at the same time,’ she says. ‘Like many of my works, it [has] double functions. Every time I do a show I like to reveal something in the process.’
The exhibition traces Deschenes’ work from 1997 and eschews any chronological narrative – a conscientious decision arrived at from dialogues between her and curator Eva Respini
Her works standout, quite literally – many of her photogram pieces rise from the ground as freestanding objects
She explains, ’I’m interested in the conditions of display. Often times people think the way things get displayed are static. It’s not’
INFORMATION
’Liz Deschenes’ is on view until 16 October. For more details, please visit the ICA’s website (opens in new tab)
Photography courtesy of the artist and ICA Boston
ADDRESS
Institute of Contemporary Art
25 Harbor Shore Drive
Boston, MA 02210
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
Ferrari teams up with Montblanc for a high-performance fountain pen
The Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 is as sleek and rarefied as the company’s legendary sports cars. We spoke to Ferrari's Flavio Manzoni about the collaboration
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Apartment interior design: outstanding spaces around the globe
Apartment interiors can be tricky to balance. Create a sense of space and get inspired by our global edit of architect-designed ideas. From minimalist mezzanines and lofts that bridge old and new, to sleek urban penthouses and dramatic transformations
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Zegna’s ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker captures the house’s 112 years of innovation
Zegna’s signature ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker returns for S/S 2023, now available in luxurious fabrications – from grained leather to canvas and soft suede
By Jack Moss • Published
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see this winter
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best new and upcoming New York art exhibitions and events for your diary
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Lucy McRae on gene editing, human intimacy, and tangible science fiction
We explore the universe of sci-fi artist and ‘body architect’ Lucy McRae, whose science fiction works fuse human intimacy, biological perfection and speculative, yet eerily familiar futures
By Billie Muraben • Last updated
-
In the studio with Swedish sculptor Klara Kristalova
Kristalova speaks to art historian and broadcaster Flora Vesterberg about ceramics, her Stockholm archipelago studio, and upcoming show at Perrotin New York
By Flora Vesterberg • Last updated
-
Objects of desire: the seductive exchange between fine art and advertising photography
At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) ‘Objects of Desire: Photography and the Language of Advertising’ explores how contemporary artists have imitated, appropriated and exploited the language of commercial photography
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
Leading female artists to celebrate 250 years of Veuve Clicquot in LA show
Opening on 26 October in Los Angeles, a new Veuve Clicquot exhibition will see contemporary female artists – including Yayoi Kusama, Sheila Hicks and Tacita Dean – respond to the champagne house’s free-spirited history
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
Dream weaving: Jeffrey Gibson fuses traditional folklore with contemporary art
By Brook Mason • Last updated
-
Maxim Zhestkov’s hypnotic digital art makes virtual worlds tangible
Ahead of a major installation at London’s W1 Curates, digital artist Maxim Zhestkov discusses the creative potential in merging physical and virtual realities: ‘my work is about this thin membrane that separates us from the future’
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
The dynamic duet of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Remembering Claes Oldenburg, who died aged 93 on 18 July 2022, we revisit our 2021 article celebrating his partnership with Coosje van Bruggen, as the duo’s final work together, Dropped Bouquet, was realised and exhibited at Pace New York’s ‘Claes & Coosje: A Duet’
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated