Judith Turner: Seeing Ambiguity

In 1980 the book Judith Turner Photographs Five
Architects was internationally recognized by architects
who admired and valued Turner’s unique
way of seeing and photographing architecture.
This new book contains photographs taken between
1974 and 2009 of buildings designed by
17 well-known architects including: Peter Eisenman,
Louis Kahn, Fumihiko Maki, Norman Foster,
Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry,
Zaha Hadid, Alvar Aalto, Shigeru Ban and Renzo
Piano. From the beginning of her career, Turner
has used architecture as subject matter.
Ambiguity has always been a hallmark of her
work where solids become voids, causing positive
and negative to reverse. The photos are
small fragments of architecture taken out of context.
Through her eyes, the subject is decomposed
and recreated, assuming a new meaning.
The photographs are quiet, yet dynamic, beautifully
framed compositions. Architects have commented
that she exposes elements of their work
they never imagined existed. Thus, while using
architecture as subject matter to invent her own
worlds, Turner is also revealing some of its inherent
complexities.
Judith Turner resides in New York City where
she began taking photographs in 1972. She has
had solo exhibitions in various cities in the United
States, Europe, South America, Israel, and Japan.
Turner has been awarded several grants
and fellowships. She received an Honor Award
from The American Institute of Architects in 1994
and a Stars of Design Award in Photography
from The Design Center of New York in 2007.
Her prints are in public and corporate collections
including: International Center of Photography,
New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; George
Eastman House Collection, Rochester; New York
State Archives, Albany; San Francisco Museum
of Modern Art, San Francisco; Library of Congress,
Washington D. C.; The Art Institute of
Chicago, Chicago; Canadian Centre for Architecture,
Montreal; Bibliothèque nationale de
France, Paris; Architectural Association, London;
Royal Institute of British Architects, London; Museum
Ludwig, Cologne; University of Leiden, Leiden;
Alvar Aalto Foundation, Helsinki; Tel Aviv
Museum, Tel Aviv; Tokyo Metropolitan Museum
of Photography, Tokyo.