PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

Naomi Fisher (b. 1976)
Untitled (Ferns)
Cibachrome print
19⅞ x 26⅛in. (50.6 x 66.5cm.)
Executed in 2001

Provenance:
Frederic Snitzer Gallery, Miami.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2003.

Specialist Notes:

‘I make photographs, paintings and videos involving women in the landscape […] I try to talk about how women are often associated with mother nature, but I think all genders are equally isolated from nature in the modern world […] I come from a feminist perspective and am fascinated by interpretations of primitivism in modern art and how that point of view is still such a part of how society looks at the “other”. There is humor, perceived violence, and beauty in my work, and I embrace the contradictions that all of these things bring up’ (N. Fisher, quoted in ‘QQ1 With Artist Naomi Fisher’, in Huffington Post, October 2010 [accessed 14 September 2015]).

Naomi Fisher’s strong, almost violent compositions show human figures blending with tropical vegetation. The anonymous female figures become partially exposed amidst dark green, heavy foliage. The anonymity of her figures coupled with their precarious poses convey sexuality, as well as discomfort and distress. ‘The transience and morbidity of the plants contrasts with the youthful bodies, resulting in a near-classical vanitas motif, associating Eros, violence and death. In any case, these pretend film stills give no clear indication as to whether these are scenes of sexual pleasure or of violence’ (S. Altmann, ‘Mother Provocation and Her Children’, in Let’s Talk About Sex, December 2001). Through the interplay of the brilliant tones of the plants and the flowers against the darkly foreboding backdrop. Fisher achieves intriguing ambiences and a decisive mood of beauty and mystery.

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.