In my series titled, Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise, I create full-size tableaus for the camera featuring a lone female figure camouflaged in abundant domestic possessions, commenting on managing a home. In these scenes, domestic objects take over, and the woman is often crushed by her own possessions, obsessions and tasks, leading to mishaps and mayhem. The photographs critique and satirize claustrophobic expectations of domestic perfection, an unending but frustrating endeavor. The figure represents women caught in consumer culture, with possessions providing tradition and identity.
Patty Carroll has been known for her use of highly intense, saturated color photographs since the 1970’s. Her recent project, “Anonymous Women,” consists of a 4-part series of full size studio installations made for the camera, addressing women and their complicated relationships with domesticity. By camouflaging the figure in drapery and/or domestic objects, Carroll creates a dark and humorous game of hide-and-seek between her viewers and the Anonymous Woman.
