Diaries of Home

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s exhibition Diaries of Home presents images by eleven women and nonbinary artists that explore the multilayered concepts of family, community, and home. Over the last sixty years, these photographers have influenced the discourse surrounding the medium by challenging the discipline of photography itself and preconceptions about domestic, familial, and communal spaces, often referred to as feminine spheres. The photographers included consider the dynamics of both biological and constructed families, and their narratives range from the very personal to broader examinations of society in works that probe stereotypes to depict tales of love, desire, loss, home, and the intimacy of human relationships.

The images presented in Diaries of Home use the vernacular of documentary photography, which creates an immediate sense of familiarity and understanding. At the same time, the works subvert the truthfulness of the snapshot by exploring photography’s inherent subjectivity and theatricality. The affection, kinship, and deeply intimate narratives captured lend a diaristic quality to the photographs, creating a conceptual focal point that inspired the exhibition’s title.

Diaries of Home features a diverse, multi-generational group with a variety of photographic processes, ranging from printed images to slides and video. Artists include Patty Chang, Jess T. Dugan, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Nan Goldin, Letitia Huckaby, Deana Lawson, Laura Letinsky, Sally Mann, Arlene Mejorado, Laurie Simmons, and Carrie Mae Weems. The exhibition is co-curated by Chief Curator Andrea Karnes and Assistant Curator Clare Milliken.

Featured Images:

Carrie Mae Weems
Untitled (Woman standing), 1990
Gelatin silver print with text panels
27 1/4 x 27 inches 

Untitled (Nude), 1990
Gelatin silver print with text panels
27 1/4 x 27 inches 

Untitled (Woman playing solitaire), 1990
Gelatin silver print with text panels
27 1/4 x 27 inches  

Collection of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Museum purchase made possible by a grant from The Burnett Foundation 

© Carrie Mae Weems. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.