Anne Chan
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| Rat Race 2007 Ultrachrome Archival Print 20"x20" |
Goldmine 2007 Ultrachrome Archival Print 20"x30" |
Acropolis 2007 Ultrachrome Archival Print 20.5"x30" |
Habitat 2007 Ultrachrome Archival Print 22"x30" |
Mausoleum 2007 Ultrachrome Archival Print 20"x30" |
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| Colonnade 2009 Giclee Print 32"x25" |
Lobby 2 2009 Giclee Print 25"x52" |
Rush 2009 Giclee Print 20"x57" |
Untitled, Casino 2008 Giclee Print 20"x30" |
Untitled, Escalator Down 2008 Giclee Print 20"x30" |
Artist's information
Anne Chan statement (PDF 24KB)
Artist Statement
Staples are inherently utilitarian. They are made with a
specific
function and task at hand. Stiff, cold and metallic, staples are a
common product of a corporate cubicle world. Symbolizing the human
condition, I question whether we have become so regimented in our
routine as to be lifeless. Are we on automatic? In the age of
technology have we become inhuman? Experimenting with size and scale I
create a representative world of my own. To alter and control the
viewer’s perspective of the object, I produce photographs
almost cinema-graphically under controlled lighting. Would you want to
live here? Are we currently living in such a confining society?
Working with business cards was a different execution of the
cubicle
farm theme. The corporate exchange of business cards is a well-known
ritual to convey identity and self promotion. Buying business cards
inevitably comes in boxes of 500 cards or more. Yet the identity this
2" x 3" card projects is a cursory distinctiveness tied to a collective
larger personality. There is some loss of individual identity despite a
different name and job title. With "One Among Many", I
created a life-sized desk and chair made of interlocking business
cards. Creating the piece as life-size formed a tangible relationship
with the viewer. I wanted to create a piece that could be experienced
more than simply viewing a photograph from an outsider's
perspective. Positioned in front of the desk, was a Plexiglas "window"
looking out to the remaining span of cubicle farm
existence. Carrying this loss of identity theme further, the business
cards facing the viewer were printed cards of my very own "Chan
Enterprises" with pseudonyms of "Anne Chan"
in various job titles. Continuing the idea, I then created "Private
Conversation" where I wanted to encourage the viewer
to be an eavesdropper of my fabricated cubicle world.
I began this series of photographs and installations as a social commentary on cubicle-farm life, highlighting a corporate culture that is monotonous, hierarchal, micromanaging, non-creative, inflexible, and even inhumane (the phrase "chained to a desk" comes to mind). I'm inspired by the work of photographers, Andreas Gursky, James Casebere, Thomas Demand and Edward Burtynsky, along with installation artists such as Do Ho Suh, whose work can be both subtle and powerful. As I continue to think about society as a whole, I'm also inspired by architecture and urban life. I continue to contemplate the idea of "work" and how one can be weighed down by the mundane tasks of their daily life.
Artist Biography
Born in New York, NY and raised in Baltimore, Anne Chan received her BA from Washington College in 2000 and went on to earn her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006. A 2009 Maryland State Arts Council award recipient, Anne’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Paris, France. In addition to being a So-Hamiltonian Artist Fellow, she is also School 33 Studio artist in Baltimore, MD.