Catherine Opie's "To Be Seen" Exhibition Arrives in Britain

Catherine Opie's first major museum exhibition in Britain, "To Be Seen," features key photographic works spanning from the 1990s to the present. The exhibition, at the National Portrait Gallery, showcases Opie's career-long focus on representing gay, lesbian, and queer Americans, whose stories have historically been absent from mainstream art history. The show also depicts the American landscape and American family.

Opie, a former photography professor, emphasized the mission of serious artists to demonstrate bravery in public spaces.

Opie emphasized the mission of serious artists to demonstrate bravery in public spaces.

The exhibition includes some of her notable works such as portraits of individuals from LA's 1990s leather dyke scene, like Pig Pen, and the "Being and Having" series, featuring 13 butch lesbians with stick-on facial hair. Also featured is "Dyke," a photograph of her friend Steakhouse with the word "dyke" tattooed across her neck.

Other significant works include "Self Portrait/Cutting" (1993), depicting a child's drawing of a house and family scored into her skin, made in reference to queer domestic life in a homophobic world. The show also presents "Divinity Fudge," featuring the performance artist in costume, and "Self-Portrait/Nursing," showing Opie breastfeeding her son Oliver, integrating personal scars from previous works.

The Artist's Intent and Spiritual Dimensions

Opie states her aim is for her photographs to "move you in your body," emphasizing "sincerity" and documenting life with vulnerability. She describes her work as asserting a moral right to exist and often involving "big spiritual ideas."

"My aim is for my photographs to move you in your body."

She noted the irony of her work containing "Christian" qualities while Christianity has historically excluded her based on sexual preference.

Early Influences and Evolving Themes

Opie's interest in photography began at age 11 after seeing a Lewis Hine photograph of a child laborer, prompting a moment of recognition with her own factory-owning family background. Despite her family's initial disapproval of her artistic path, she was surrounded by creative materials.

Her personal experiences, including her non-conformity as a child and her son Oliver's journey of identifying as "the pink-tutu boy," have profoundly influenced her art. In the late 2000s, Opie expanded her photographic scope by creating portraits of school football players across the US. This project was an effort to broaden her exploration of the "American landscape" and address questions about her previous focus solely on queer subjects.

Beyond Fine Art: Commercial Engagements

Beyond her fine art career, Opie has also engaged in commercial photography, shooting for clients like Gucci, and undertaking weddings and editorial assignments. She stated she valued developing a comprehensive skillset in photography.

Challenging Perceptions and Artistic Integrity

Regarding "Self-Portrait/Cutting," Opie frequently clarifies that its intent was not simply to shock but to represent the relationship between queer domestic life and a hostile world. She challenges the double standards applied to "challenging" art, questioning why certain depictions are deemed problematic while others, like religious imagery of suffering, are accepted without similar scrutiny.

Opie maintains that she will implement "trigger warnings" on her art when institutions like the Vatican apply them to their own works.

She maintains that she will implement "trigger warnings" on her art when institutions like the Vatican apply them to their own works.