SITUATE / 1 September to 26 November 2018 at Eastside International Los Angeles, United States of America
Phebe Schmidt is the recipient of the 2018 studio residency award at Eastside International Los Angeles (ESXLA). Phebe will undertake a three-month studio residency at ESXLA, located in the Brewery art colony complex in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles. This award has been generously supported by Eastside International Los Angeles.
Phebe Schmidt is a Melbourne-based photographer who investigates ideas about self, constructed and imagined, through fictional characters’ absurdist roleplaying intermeshed with decontexualised objects. Through this experimentation she seeks to understand contemporary anxieties associated with authenticity and methods of “fitting in” that can exacerbate an emotionally charged alienation from self. Schmidt has exhibited in both solo and group shows nationally and internationally.
During her residency at Eastside International she will continue her investigation of contemporary anxieties associated with authenticity and methods of “fitting in”, together with the ways in which branding and marketing can exacerbate an emotionally charged alienation from self. The intention is to examine the gaps between image/brand and elusive ideas of the aligned concepts of “reality” and authenticity. Building on her research for 'Your Time' she hopes to find subjects/characters in LA who will shape and contribute to a new body of work.