Jill Frank Exhibit Reinvents Historical Symbols and Scenes through Photography

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2014) - While living in Chicago, artist Jill Frank was curious about visual cues used in advertisements she saw around the city on her daily commute. Frank borrowed those iconic images and poses, such as an artistic rendering of Mary and Jesus or the Hindu goddess Shiva, to create a series of photographs that challenge how society interprets and responds to historical images.

Select pieces from Frank's collection of photographs are on display in the East Rotating Gallery in the Univeristy of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital as part of the UK Arts in HealthCare program. Titled "Latent History," Frank's collection of works spanning from 2009 to 2012 will be on display through October. The eight large-scale photographs are all, in some way, inspired by iconic images. Photographs on display include "Mother and Child," an alternate version of the familiar artistic expression of Mary and Jesus, and "Air Raid," which evokes photographic memories of World War II by depicting a group of men flying paper airplanes over a small village in Germany. Frank said the photographs have a hyper-pictorial quality to emphasize the deeper meaning and significance of the underlying symbols.

"I am interested in the idea that these photographed performances challenge the authority of familiar images as a way to engender a critical conversation about the influence of dominant representations,” Frank said.

Frank received her bachelor's degree in photography from Bard College in 2001 and completed a master's in fine arts degree in studio art from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2008. She currently lives in Atlanta where she teaches photography at Georgia State University. Her work has shown nationally and internationally, and recent awards include grants from The Center for Collaborative and International Arts at Georgia State, The City of Chicago Community Art Assistance Program and The Kentucky Foundation for Women.

A native of Louisville, Frank hopes that the pieces will ignite curiosity and contemplation in hospital visitors and patients. She appreciates the opportunity to display her work in a location where passersby aren't necessarily expecting to see fine art.

"For me, it's interesting to hear what people think," Frank said. "One fun part of being an artist is that after you make something, you can't control how people will receive or interact with it. I learn a lot from exhibiting my work in new places, and am excited to be showing in Lexington for the first time.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu