In Living Pictures, the settings -– laundromat, stadium, beach – become stages in which Duncan and Odell perform still actions. In these motionless, durational states, they become equal to their surroundings. The artists wear matching outfits in distinct colors similar to elements of the scene and place themselves in situations as if they are objects in a framed composition. For example in Stadium, they assume the color of the architectural railings beneath signage that reads “Ladies” while in Behind the Autostore, they blend in with the building. Like matching colors, stillness is a form of camouflage. The buildings and objects remain still, and so do they. Random elements such as the movement of natural light, passersby and cars create a perceptual shift which alerts the viewer to the passing of time. Influenced by nineteenth-century tableaux vivants, Edward Hopper paintings, and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills, the scenes create a paradoxical contrast of being both isolated from, and integrated within the space. At some point a movement is instigated by one of them and they locate themselves in a new space and then become still, again. Periodic hibernation.

Monica Duncan bio

Lara Odell bio

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