Catherine Opie

Following the debate over California's Proposition 8, this short film is an exploration of how modern American families are constructed, not only those within the LGBTQ community.

Comprised of 852 black-and-white photographs, The Modernist presents a dystopian view of Los Angeles, a city which has figured prominently in Catherine Opie’s work over the years. She uses the formal and narrative structures from Chris Marker’s legendary photo-play La jetée to address contemporary themes of environmental collapse, global upheaval, and political breakdown.

Catherine Opie shares the emotional and political motivations for her provocative and influential photography.