True Nature

True Nature is a collection of nine folios printed on copper sheeting, each measuring 8 x 12.”  The sheets have been folded vertically and stitched down the fold with copper wire, emulating pages removed from a “found” book. Emulating the practice of elevating ordinary objects to art status, each folio is flat mounted separately in its own frame.

The folios display original photomontages, graphic embellishments, and one-paragraph vignettes, which I wrote using the photomontage as inspiration. I constructed the photomontages from my original botanical photographs, my collection of 19th century studio portraits, and digitally-adapted design emblems.

Liz Hager, The Sisters, True Nature series, 2009
Digital Metaltype, 8 x 12″

Each True Nature sketch records a snapshot in time, an imagined moment in life of its female character, during which something essential is understood by, or revealed to, her. Each vignette contains a kernel of historical truth. Further, the studio portraits falsely enhance the authenticity of these folios, providing them with a kind of “attic provenance.”   And yet, the texts belie that notion, presenting a completely modern sensibility characterizing women with agency and some decidedly non-conventional thoughts.

Liz Hager, The Dancer, True Nature series, 2009
Digital Metaltype, 8 x 12″