EXHIBITION DETAILS

O.P.P | Heather Oelklaus

August 3 - 30, 2018

Exhibition Location
Art Lab
239 Linden St, Fort Collins, CO 80524

STATEMENT

In the series O.P.P. (Other People’s Photography), hand woven silver gelatin and inkjet prints survey stereotypical and nostalgic notions. Found photographs from US Army wives’ gatherings and Hollywood film stills are woven together to reconstruct new narratives. The simple act of dismantling these midcentury stereotypes in order to reconstruct them in a distorted manner is the driving inspiration for this series. The expressive gaze within these staged photographs breaks through the picture’s surface as if to confront the viewer. These sophisticated slices of history illustrate an era of inclusion and exclusion while leaving the viewer to compare present day relationships. Started in 2014, this ongoing series continues to evolve as the political and social environment changes.

Heather Oelklaus (b. 1972, USA) studied Sculpture at The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) in the early 90’s. She has exhibited work in solo and group shows in Colorado, New Orleans, Oregon, New York, Texas, and Arizona. Heather has an upcoming solo show in Ft. Collins, CO at The Center for Fine Art Photography in August 2018. She will have work in a group exhibition “Light and Metal: unique prints and photo objects” at photo-eye Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. Heather currently lives and works in Colorado Springs where she explores unconventional photography and art making.