James Casebere: New Work

James Casebere has been photographing models of architectural interiors and exteriors since 1975. Using simple materials like styrofoam and plaster, Casebere constructs miniature replicas of institutions. Prisons, monasteries, schools and asylums are pared down to their essential, basic forms.

The resulting photographs are elegant studies of the social and psychological implications of architectural environments. Casebere’s reductive imagery evokes solitude, stillness, timelessness, confinement, and transcendence.

This exhibition features new, large-scale photographs examining subterranean spaces. In contrast to his earlier work, these empty passageways suggest motion and transition. One has the distinct sensation of moving through these mysterious tunnels towards an unknown destination. Warm light diffused through small openings creates an eerie, incongruous sense of comfort in otherwise dark and claustrophobic spaces.