Stairs

Artist Kerry Skarbakka American, born 1970

Date2002

MediumChromogenic print

Dimensions24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm)
Frame: 31 1/2 x 27 1/4 in. (80 x 69.2 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of Allen G. Thomas Jr. in honor of Lawrence J. Wheeler

Object number2014.14.51

On View

Not on view

Label TextThis image is from a series by Kerry Skarrbakka titled The Struggle to Right Oneself and feature the artist in a constant state of tumbling towards certain harm: face forward down the stairs, backwards off a ladder, or suspended in mid-air over a balcony. The process behind the work involves meticulously staging each scene and significant physical risk from Skarbakka. With years of experience from rock-climbing he uses a variety of pulleys and harnesses to place himself in a variety of precarious positions. After taking the photograph he then uses a computer to edit the equipment out of the final image.

In reference to this series, Skarbakka has stated, “It questions what it means to resist the struggle, to simply let go, and the consequences of holding on. The images stand as reminders that we are all vulnerable to losing our footing and grasp, symbolizing the precarious balancing act between the struggle against our desire to survive and our fantasy to transcend our humanness.”
[L. Dougherty, 2014]ProvenanceCreated 2003; collection of the artist, Corvallis, OR. Allen G. Thomas Jr., Wilson, NC, 2005; given to NCMA, 2014.
Exhibition HistoryBoone, NC, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, “Men Working: The Contemporary Collection of Allen Thomas, Jr.,” July 5, 2013–February 8, 2014.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Private Eye: Allen G. Thomas Jr. Photography Collection,” September 13, 2014–March 22, 2015. Object Rights Statement

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