Sunday, October 24, 2010

Artist Post 8: Tierney Gearon

Tierney Gearon

Tierney Gearon was born in 1963, in Atlanta, Georgia and is an American photographer.  Gearon never attended art school but began her career as a ballet dancer and model, and was shortly discovered by an agent in Paris for taking impressive photos of her fellow models.  Later Gearon became a fashion photographer, taking photos for the influential fashion houses and producing work for Times Square Ads.  After five years of working as a fashion photographer, Gearon married a Frenchman and had two children.  When Gearon and her husband divorced Gearon started a very personal project (I am a Camera), which documented her family. 

In 2001, Gearon’s exhibit, I Am a Camera, was at the Saatchi Gallery and consisted of large blown up photographs of Gearon’s two children.  There were many complaints about the nude photographs of Gearon’s children and London police eventually demanded that the work be removed. Gearon said in reference to her work at the Saatchi Gallery being criticized, “I think that the pictures are incredibly innocent and totally unsexual. I don't crop them, I don't retouch, and the shots are never staged. I might introduce an element, like a mask, to a given situation, but I would never insist that the child put it on.” (Gearon- Guardian)

Gearon takes photos of her children during everyday life and according to Gearon in reference to her work, “It’s not a business for me. My work is like a diary. I do it for my soul.”

Tierney Gearon in her series Explosure, created beautiful prints by layering double exposures. Gearon said, “Two boring images suddenly become more interesting than a regular photograph.”  (West) Gearon in this series often combined themes that contradict each other, combining indoor images with outdoor images and youth with elderly.  Gearon’s grouping with the photographs is fascinating and makes you study the work longer to discover where one picture begins and where the other picture ends. Gearon’s Explosure work fascinates me because there are so many layers to each photograph making them busy yet playful. I am interested in Gearon’s work and feel that it may be beneficial for my work to make it more playful.

In 2006, The Mother Project, a personal project of Gearon’s was the subject of a documentary film by directors Jack Youngelson and Peter Sutherland.  Gearon now has four children and is working on a series of children’s book, as well as working on a variety of different campaigns.  Gearon currently lives and works in Los Angeles.  (20x200)

Tierney Gearon’s daughter said in reference to photographs, “You can have pictures for ages and ages and you’ll always remember, that’s what pictures are, there memories.”


Interview: I couldn’t find an interview with Tierney Gearon however I found this youtube video of her and her children talking in reference to “The Mother Project” (film). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWCBvuQpjIU

Book: Daddy, Where are You? By Tierney Gearon Publisher Steidl, Gerhard Druckerei und Verlag, published October 2006.

Most recent exhibition: Explosure, Philips de Pury & Company, 2008/ ace Beverly Hills, 2009.



Tierney Gearon, Explosure
Untitled, Frame 18, 2008 Archival Print 42 x 53in. 

Tierney Gearon, Explosure
Untitled, Frame 50, 2008 Archival Print 42 x 53 in. 

Tierney Gearon, Explosure
Untitled, Frame 12, 2008 Archival Print 42 x 53 in.

Tierney Gearon, I am a Camera
Untitled, Archival Print,
 (print size can't find, however i know she prints on a large scale)

Tierney Gearon, The Mother Project 
Untitled, Archival Print?
 (print size can't find, however i know she prints on a large scale)



I added the photograph below to show how she plays with different scales.

Tierney Gearon, (for an fashion ad)
Untitled, unknown




Works Cited

Gearon, Tierney.  The Guardian. 13 March 2001. 24 October 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2001/mar/13/childprotection>.

Tierney Gearon Bio. <http://www.tierneygearon.com/bio/>.

West, Naomi.  Tierney Gearon: double exposure.  2 January 2009.  24 October 2010. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/4014998/Tierney-Gearon-double-exposure.html>.

Tierney Gearon. Wikipedia. 7 August 2010. 24 October 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tierney_Gearon>. 

Tierney Gearon. 20x200: It's Art for Everyone. 24 October 2010. <http://www.20x200.com/artists/tierney-gearon.html>.

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