Miss Solitude

The German-born, Vancouver-based artist Birthe Piontek has gained attention in recent years for her evocative photographic still life and portraiture, which often cleverly challenges our assumptions about intimacy, subjectivity, and mortality. Found photographs and objects have long played an important role in Piontek’s work, but until recently, their arrangement has always resulted in a photographed image. The solo exhibition Miss Solitude marks a decisive shift in the artist’s practice, presenting viewers with a series of new work comprised entirely of assemblages and installations. Through manipulations of vintage prints, embellished household objects, hair, textiles, and footwear, Piontek considers the photograph as fetish and talisman, and investigates its role as assistive device in both the fabrication and disavowal of femininity, memory, and desire.