Mariah Robertson is a visual artist known primarily for work experimenting with darkroom techniques and materials. Her practice began in the late 1990’s with improvisational performance work inspired by 1970’s conceptual art and by an anthropological and philosophical study of various religions. Robertson applies these foundational strategies of inquiry across the photographic process, testing assumptions by inverting the gendered gaze, exploring technical and chemical processes, pushing physical properties to extremes, and challenging the relationship between frame and artwork. She encourages change and mutability by merging proficiency, curiosity, and a dose of knowing humor.
Select solo exhibitions include Van Doren Waxter, New York; 11R, New York; Green Gallery, Milwaukee; and M+B, Los Angeles. She has been included in exhibitions at institutions such as MoMA, New York; MoMA PS1, New York; International Center of Photography, New York; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Robertson’s work is in the permanent collections of MoMA, New York; LACMA, Los Angeles; The Whitney Museum, New York; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; and National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, among others. Her work was featured on the cover of Elton John’s 2016 album, Wonderful Crazy Night.
[excerpted from the artist’s website: www.mariahrobertson.com]