Fine Art 3rd place winner

In my series titled, Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise, I create tableaus for the camera featuring a female figure camouflaged in an abundance of domestic possessions. I have always been interested in a line between reality and fiction, which is a difficult space for photography. As such, although I previously photographed places that looked like they might be sets in dark movies, this work is the fictional narrative of a single woman in her imaginary home; confined yet overwhelmed by the world both inside and outside. She is both a victim of her obsessions, activities and circumstances as well as the invisible creator of such; both satisfying and problematic, pathetic and humorous. The lone female figure represents people who feel isolated, exhausted, frustrated and generally at wit’s end during these difficult times

My intention with the work is to bring attention to unseen heroic women who silently run a home, family, and often careers. The figure symbolizes so many women, no matter what culture or background, with roots in consumer culture and how possessions provide continuity and tradition. While humor is prevalent in these narratives, the message behind them has darker implications about the role of women or homemaker.

Patty Carroll has been known for her use of highly intense, saturated color photographs since the 1970’s. Her recent project, “Anonymous Women,” consists of a 4-part series of studio installations made for the camera, addressing women and their complicated relationships with domesticity. By camouflaging the figure in drapery and/or domestic objects, Carroll creates a dark and humorous game of hide-and-seek between her viewers and the Anonymous Woman. The photographs are exhibited in large scale were published as a monograph in 2017 by Daylight Books, and a monograph of the later work as Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise by Aint-Bad Books in 2020. This series has been exhibited internationally, has won multiple awards, and acknowledged as one of Photolucida’s “Top 50” in 2104 and in 2017. Carroll’s work has been featured in prestigious blogs and international magazines such as the Huffington Post, the BJP in Britain, and NYT LensBlog, as well as exhibited internationally. After teaching photography for many years, Carroll has enthusiastically returned to the studio delighting viewers with her playful critique of home and excess.

Selected one-person museum exhibits include: MOCP, Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, UK, among others.