Violin Repair Shop , 2011

Lori Nix: The City
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In The City, New York-based photographer Lori Nix depicts deteriorating urban locations that have been abandoned by humans. The stately theater, beauty shop, and public aquarium are gradually being reclaimed by nature. Upon closer inspection of these seemingly realistic images, the viewer experiences a delightful revelation as the magic of Nix’s creative process is slowly revealed. The artist constructs detailed dioramas filled with an array of miniature objects. Fascinating and complex, many of the scenes in these photographs take over seven months to complete. To achieve the varying mood and environmental effects in the works, the artist carefully lights the dioramas and then photographs them using a large-format 8x10 camera. In the recent work Violin Repair Shop (pictured), Nix has painstakingly sculpted the hand tools, furniture and light fixtures out of wood, extruded foam, polymer clay, plaster, paint and found objects. Every detail of the composition is considered including what exists beyond these captivating interiors; the faint details of buildings can be seen through dusty windows adding to the drama and illusion of deep space.

Lori Nix has had numerous solo and group exhibitions including: The George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; Museum of Arts and Design, NYC; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH; and the California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA. Her works are in many collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, DC; and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Nix was the recipient of 2010 New York Foundation for the Arts Individual Artist Grant.