Artist Statement

We all have expectations of what things should look like and we assume the camera will render those expectations. While one would consider camera optics to be revealing, they also may be used as a device of concealment. It is through the use of these optical choices that allow my work to present shifting visual illusions and allusions. This created incongruous space gives a sense of permitting real time and remembered time to cross paths.

All of these photographs are printed black and white; all have very specific areas that are in focus, as well as very specific things that are concealed. These trace images of objects have culturally assigned historical context. It is through the aura of these histories that we collectively understand, assign signifiers, and assemble the narratives. Many of the images investigate domestic space and cultural expectations while some allude to the life roles we play.

- Rebecca Zeiss

About Rebecca Zeiss

Rebecca Zeiss is from Midland, Michigan. She majored in art at Delta College, received a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Central Michigan University. She is currently a graphic arts designer for the Clarke Historical Library in Mount Pleasant, and also teaches photography at the University of Michigan (Flint), Delta College, and Saginaw State University.

Her newest body of work "Resonance of the Machinist" consists of six four-foot-wide panels printed on brushed aluminum. Each references object images that possess historical associations we all share collectively.