Lorna Simpson
Born in 1960 · United States
Unravelling assigned identities.
The story
Lorna Simpson brings photography into dialogue with text, film, collage and painting. In her early groups of works, fragmented figures and brief inscriptions question expectations around gender and racial identity. The image does not offer a person whom the viewer could know completely. Gaps, repetitions and associations instead prompt an examination of the categories and habits through which we interpret other people’s appearances and experiences.
Understanding the work
Read the text without assuming it explains the photograph. Notice absences, especially those of faces: they can disrupt habitual categorisation and open several possible interpretations.
Key works and series
Guarded Conditions; Stereo Styles; photo-text works, collages and installations.
Sources & further exploration
Works in collections.
5 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.