Artist, Catherine Opie: A portrait can stand on its own without necessarily being a political act, but depending on who you are representing, it can become a political act.
My name is Catherine Opie. I'm an artist who lives in Los Angeles, California.
I grew up with portraits in the home that were painted by John Opie, who was part of the Royal Academy in England, so I had the old masters in mind, always. And I wanted to make things that felt timeless and that were steeped within this moment of being with the person, with their body, within the space, within the photograph. My work sits in its quietness and that is really important—the pause.
But it also is deeply personal. Especially with the work that I was making in the ‘90s. Mike and Sky were really important to me. They're two people born biologically women who transitioned. I had over 15 friends transition to male within a four year period of time. My work does come out of incredible love and dialogue with people who share my queer identity with me and what that meant at that time in our lives.