Harvey, Cig

British 1973 - 

The photographs and artist books of Cig Harvey, MFA, have been widely exhibited and reside in the permanent collections of major museums and collections worldwide. A native of Devon, England, Harvey sees her photographs as vignettes that depict daily life in all its complexities. In addition to self-portraits, Harvey makes pictures of family and close friends to better understand their relationships. Her photographs are an attempt to legitimize her moments of uncertainty and to visually celebrate times of elation, when we are reminded that the world, in all its complexities, can be mind-blowingly beautiful. She uses color, gesture and space to seduce the imagination.

Harvey was a recent finalist for the BMW Prize at Paris Photo and the Prix Virginia, an international photography prize for women. Her first solo museum show was held at the Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway, in the spring of 2012, coinciding with the release of her monograph, You Look At Me Like An Emergency (Schilt Publishing, 2012). With her vibrant photographs and startlingly honest writing, Harvey transforms quotidian experiences that reference time and place, creating totems that mark key places in her life.

Harvey was an assistant professor at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University for ten years. Devoting her life purely to the creative process, Harvey lives in a renovated Maine farmhouse with her husband, Doug; their daughter, Scout; and their dog, Scarlet Snacks.

COLLECTIONS

International Museum of Photography, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; The Masterworks Foundation, Hamilton, Bermuda; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; The Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine