Urbana, IL
Hair Loss (top) $750
Indra’s Net (middle) $250
14 Mysteries (bottom) $250
www.beanettles.com
 |
 |
 |
My work has always been autobiographical, usually truthful, but often touching on subject matter that is personal enough that it might be considered secret.
The book Hair Loss, describes the experience of having my hair fall out during chemotherapy for breast cancer several years ago. I set up my view camera and took a self portrait every month for a year, from when the hair began to fall out until I felt like I needed a haircut again. Often taking this photograph was the only creative activity that I had the strength for during the month. I did not have a project in mind, but felt the need to document this experience. It was several years later before I felt ready to make this book, a sharing of the physical evidence of illness that most people keep hidden.
Indra's Net is a scroll that has a secret. There is a bell in the lid of the tubular box that houses it. Once the poem is read, the reason for the bell becomes clear. The words were written by my mother, Grace Noble Nettles. They describe a failed love affair that cannot be erased from the poet's memory.
14 Mysteries is an accordion book that contains replicas of a set of keys found in our house when we moved to Illinois. Embedded in the cover is one of the keys. The keys are metaphors for loss of memory. The use of these keys has long been forgotten, but they are retained with the hope that someday their purposes will be revealed.Artist Biography
Nettles’ career began in 1970 with “Photography Into Sculpture” at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has been shown internationally and she has received two National Endowment for the Arts Photography Fellowships. She has delivered lectures and workshops internationally and is recognized for her innovations in mixed media photography and photographic books.
All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.
