Archive 192: Abstract Photographs by Women

The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Archive 192: Abstract Photographs by Women, featuring works by Sara Angelucci, Claudia Fáhrenkemper, Jennifer Garza Cuen, Sage Lewis, Claire A. Warden, and others.

Archive 192 is an independent archive dedicated to preserving and celebrating abstractionist works by women photographers established in 2015 by photographer Louie Palu and photo editor Chloe Coleman. The archive, which now holds over 200 prints, books and ephemera, challenges conventional narratives of the history of photography that center documentary realism and aims to counter underrepresentation of work by women in institutional collections.

This exhibition presents a selection of photographs from Archive 192 that explore the diverse techniques of abstraction, including framing, cropping magnification, and altering chemical processes. These visual strategies present unfamiliar views of real-world objects and change the appearance of photographic prints to create non-representational images. The photographs on view also represent the array of photographic processes employed by photographers in pursuit of abstraction over more than a century, including cyanotypes, C-prints, tintypes, and Polaroid color instant prints. Related ephemera including publications, artist books, and posters document the evolution of abstractionism in photography and the political contexts, such as the feminist movement, that impact women working within the medium.

Public Program

On Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m., the Library Gallery presents an Exhibition Tour and Artist Conversation with Louie Palu, Chloe Coleman, Juliana Foster, and Claire Warden.

Visitor Information

Admission is free. For driving directions and parking information, please visit here.

Library Gallery hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

The presentation of this exhibition is supported by an arts program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Baltimore County Commission on the Arts & Sciences, the Libby Kuhn Endowment Fund, as well as individual contributors.

Image: Fährenkemper, Claudia (German, 1959–), from series Habitus, 46-02-7, Sodium Chloride, 2002, Silver Gelatin Print, 11 x 14 inches.