Laurie Simmons

In her early-career work, Laurie Simmons staged and photographed doll-house interiors. Her work progressed to engage dolls, cowboys, and ventriloquist dummies in various domestic scenes to highlight the realities of American culture in an age of visual glamor. In Simmons’ most recent show, Color Pictures/Deep Photos 2007-2022, the artist returns to miniatures, this time in the form of tiny sinks, toy lamps, and pianos. In this collection of work, miniatures are not merely photographed but fastened in resin coating to photographs of amateur pornstars, fine artists, and American personalities. Resulting are miniatures of women overlaid onto scenes of powerful men and domesticity. These works offer a glimpse into Simmons’ vast oeuvre, united by an interest in issues of gender and identity formation in American culture.