Leigh Ledare (born 1976) uses photography, archival material, text and film to explore human agency, social relationships, taboos and the photographic in equal turns. Through a wide span of artistic practices, Ledare examines issues related to desire, identity, and morality.

Life and work

Ledare was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. He first gained recognition through his exhibition and artist book titled ''Pretend You're Actually Alive'' (2000-2008), which examines the complex relations between the artist and his mother – namely, how she used intimacy, eroticism, and vulnerability to negotiate the balance of power within the family.

"The resulting images are often sumptuous, saturated with color, and surprisingly beautiful. But they also, and importantly, disconcert the viewer, making us uncomfortable, and, in the process, raising questions about the functioning of the image and the construction of subjectivity in contemporary culture." Ledare has continued this examination into personal relationships with works that feature images of his collectors, patrons, and ex-wife, often in sexual situations.

In 2009, Ledare was included in an exhibition ''Ça Me Touche'' (''Nan's Guests'') curated by

Nan Goldin Nancy Goldin (born September 12, 1953) is an American photographer and activist. Her work often explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the opioid epidemic. Her most notable work is '' The Ballad of Sexual Depe ...

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

France as part of the annual

Rencontres d'Arles The Rencontres d’Arles (formerly called ''Rencontres internationales de la photographie d’Arles'') is an annual summer photography festival founded in 1970 by the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, the writer Michel Tournier and the historia ...

photography festival. Writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,''

Roberta Smith Roberta Smith (born 1948) is co-chief art critic of ''The New York Times'' and a lecturer on contemporary art. She is the first woman to hold that position. Early life Born in 1948 in New York City and raised in Lawrence, Kansas. Smith studied at ...

said that Ledare is "taking us deep into the darkness and torment that drive many artists." In the series "Personal Commissions" Ledare "answered personal ads from women whose desires echoed those of his mother's, and paid them to photograph him in their apartments, in a scenario of their choosing." He has taught at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

;

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

;

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, New York;

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

; and the Fondazione Spinola Banna per l’Arte, Italy.

Publications

* ''Pretend You’re Actually Alive.'' PPP in collaboration with Andrew Roth, New York, 2008. * ''Leigh Ledare, et al.'' Milan: Mousse, 2012. * ''Double Bind.'' Bruxelles, mfc-michèle didier, 2012. mfc-michèle didier. * ''Anna and Carl and some other couples.'' Nic Guagnini. PPP Editions in collaboration with Andrew Roth, New York, 2014. * ''Double Bind Conversations.'' Co-authored with Rhea Anastas. New York: Art Resources Transfer, 2015.

Exhibitions

* 2009: ''Ça me touche'' (''Nan's Guests''), curated by Nan Goldin,

, France. * 2010: Nominated and exhibited at the Rencontres d'Arles Discovery Award, France. * 2010: ''The Confectioner’s Confectioner,'' Pilar Corrias Gallery, London. * 2012: ''Leigh Ledare et al,'' WIELS, curated by Elena Filipovich. * 2012: ''Double Bind - Leigh Ledare,'' mfc-michèle didier, Paris * 2013: ''Leigh Ledare, et al.,''

Kunsthal Charlottenborg Kunsthal Charlottenborg is an exhibition building in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the official exhibition gallery of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. History Charlottenborg Palace was constructed in 1672–83 as a residence for Ulrik Frederik G ...

, Denmark * 2014: ''Leigh Ledare'', Mitchell-Innes and Nash Gallery, New York. * 2016: ''The Here and the Now'', Manifesta 11, Helmhaus Kunsthalle, Zurich, Switzerland. * 2016: ''Place du Jardin aux Fleurs'', Office Baroque, Brussels. * 2017: ''Vokzal'', The Box, Los Angeles. * 2017: ''The Plot'', Art Institute of Chicago.

Films

* The Task (2017)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10927766/

References

External links

Biographical Information on the artistLeigh Ledare by Chris Kraus
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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ledare, Leigh 1976 births Living people American contemporary artists Columbia University School of the Arts alumni