Philip Martin Gallery is pleased to present, "Fragments from a Visual Journal," an exhibition of conceptual photographs by Donna-Lee Phillips (b. 1941). The online exhibition is Phillips' first solo presentation in nearly two decades. In fall 2023, Donna-Lee Phillips' work will be the subject of a solo exhibition at the gallery.
Donna-Lee Phillips' late 70s/early 80s photographs are some of the most important works in the history of West Coast Conceptual Art. At a moment in which women's rights are being taken away, Phillips's still under-known major works are more relevant than ever. In series such as "Fragments from a Visual Journal" (1977) Donna-Lee Phillips articulates the nature of not only looking, but also being looked at. She asserts what it feels like to have your own thoughts - and to have the thoughts of others thrust upon you.
Speaking on the tough, lonely way in which our society deals with the desire for human touch, Phillips writes in the introducing to her 1977 book, "Eros and Photography: An Exploration of Sexual Imagery & Photographic Practice" (NFS Press), "If the content and style of photographic imagery in general is a kind of sociological barrier, then [the forms of its] imagery are acute indicators of our direction as a culture." Phillips' photographs figure female interiority - physical, emotional, otherwise. Her work underlines with careful intent what photographs are, how we read them, and how they work. A vital figure in the late 70s Bay Area photography scene, Donna-Lee co-founded the now-legendary NFS Press with fellow San Francisco-based artist Lew Thomas. She was a member of the loose Bay Area "Photography and Language" group, alongside artists like Lutz Bacher, Peter D'Agostino, Hal Fischer, Richard Misrach, Sam Samore, Lew Thomas and others.
Please join artist Hal Fischer for a webinar discussion of Donna-Lee Phillips' work on Friday, July 22 at 9am PST/12 noon EST.
Donna-Lee Phillips "Fragments from a Visual Journal" is on-line through August 3, 2022.
Donna-Lee Phillips (b. 1941, Winthrop, MA) received her BFA in 1968 from Cooper Union (New York, NY) and her MFA in 1971 from Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY). In 2020, Phillips' work was featured in the major exhibition at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, curated by Erin O'Toole, "Thought Pieces: 1970s Photographs by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer." A catalog of the same title was released by MACK Books that same year. Donna-Lee Phillips' work has been featured in significant exhibtions such as "Language, Sequence, Structure: Photographic Works by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer" (2021, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA); and "Photography and Language" (2016, Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA). Phillips work is in the collections of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA); Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); Fogg Art Museum/Harvard Art Museums, (Cambridge, MA); Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, MA); Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris, France); and Musée d’art moderne et contemporain (Genève, Switzerland). Her work has been reviewed in the The Village Voice, New York Times, Washington Post, Artforum, Artweek, San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications. Donna-Lee Phillips lives and works in Eureka, CA.
Philip Martin Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10-5. For additional images, or information please email info@philipmartingallery.com, or call 310-559-0100. Philip Martin Gallery is located at 2712 S. La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 in the Culver City area of Los Angeles between Venice Blvd. and Washington Blvd., just south of the 10 Freeway.