SEATTLE, WA.- In her new suite of collages for the Boren Banner Series, Seattle artist Natalie Krick (b. 1986, Portland, Oregon) deconstructs pictures of Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962). Using contact sheets from commercial photographer Bert Stern’s The Complete Last Sitting (a book of 2,600 photos taken for Vogue magazine six weeks before the actress’s death), Krick separates the images from the book’s eroticized language. She then obscures them by masking, layering, and applying cut-out patterns interventions that complicate the voyeuristic viewing the book imposes on its iconic subject.

The artist’s approach to these photographs is, in her words, “not an attempt to understand ‘Monroe’s truth’ but to focus attention on what the photograph does not show us, on what it hides and distorts.” Krick physically cut and pastes Stern’s images to craft new compositions that often position Monroe as the photographer. By giving agency to the actress, Krick undermines the dynamic of objectification and sexualization between Stern and Monroe. The artist’s reframing of history in this body of work reveals the power imbalances of photography and instigates a more critical perspective on the women it has long objectified.

Natalie Krick (born 1986, Portland, Oregon) holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and an MFA from Columbia College Chicago. In 2015 Krick was a recipient of an Individual Photographer’s Fellowship from the Aaron Siskind Foundation for her project Natural Deceptions. In 2017, Natural Deceptions was published by Skylark Editions, and Krick was awarded the Aperture Portfolio Prize. Recent exhibitions include those at SF Camerawork, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Aperture Foundation, The Museum of Sex, and Blue Sky Gallery. Her photography has been highlighted in international publications including BOMB, The New Yorker, Vogue Italia, PDN, Aperture, and Vrij Nederland.

THE BOREN BANNER SERIES

The Boren Banner Series reflects the museum’s commitment to showcasing work by Pacific Northwest artists. This biannual series gives regional artists the opportunity to present a piece as a monumental, 16 x 20 ft. vinyl “banner” alongside an exhibition of related works inside the museum. The billboard-size artwork is prominently sited facing Boren Avenue, the Frye’s most visible and accessible physical interface.

Boren Banner Series: Natalie Krick is organized by Alexis L. Silva, Curatorial Assistant.