Allan Sekula

Born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1951, Los
Angeles-based artist Allan Sekula is known for his potent
photographic works. Using a vocabulary informed by the tradition of
documentary photography, Sekula skillfully weaves together aesthetic
images and information in order to address topics of social and
economic importance such as unemployment, warfare and class
relations.

As a student of both art and
philosophy, Sekula relies upon both images and the written word to
communicate with his audience, often pairing the two to create a
layered commentary on contemporary events. Sometimes called a
“critical realist,” Sekula is interested in “the realism not of
appearances or social facts but of everyday experience in and against
the grip of advanced capitalism.” In recent years, Sekula has added
the art of filmmaking to his repertoire of still images.

Sekula’s work has been featured
internationally in both group and solo exhibitions at venues
including The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Santa Monica
Museum of Art; Museo Contemporaneo de Arte, Madrid, Spain; and Centre
Pompidou, Paris, France. Sekula has also been the recipient of
numerous grants and awards including the Camera Austria Prize, a J.
Paul Getty Trust Research Grant, and a National Endowment for the
Arts Artist’s Fellowship.