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Aspen Mays
Every Leaf on a Tree
February 6 - 28, 2010
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

With a keen sense of humor, Aspen Mays explores the relationship between scientific investigation and the photographic medium to question what knowledge can be gained through systems of cataloguing, classification and documentation.

For her 12 x 12 exhibition Mays produces a site-specific photographic installation titled Every leaf on a tree. The installation consists of two recent bodies of work: Every leaf, which documents every leaf on a tree outside of the artist's studio and consists of over 900 individual color photographs; and Every book, a series of photographs that document every book about Albert Einstein available through the Illinois Collegiate Inter-Library Loan service. These were then organized by Mays according to the color spectrum to create a series of individual "rainbows" -- referencing Einstein's theories about light and gravity. With these works, Mays asks how the systematic presentation of individual parts affects our understanding of the whole.

Mays CV (pdf)

Lauren Vierra, Chicago Tribune, 2010.
Interview with Aspen Mays, Bad at Sports, 2010.
Beatrice Smigasiewicz, Newcity Art, 2010.
Karsten Lund, Flavorpill, 2010.

 

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

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Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)

Mays_Everyleaf175_GOLDEN

Aspen Mays, Every leaf 175, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Everyleaf187_GOLDEN

Aspen Mays, Every leaf 187, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Everyleaf188_GOLDEN

Aspen Mays, Every leaf 188, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Everyleaf205_GOLDEN

Aspen Mays, Every leaf 205, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Everyleaf293_GOLDEN

Aspen Mays, Every leaf 293, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_15

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 15, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_16

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 16, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_17

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 17, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_18

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 18, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_19

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 19, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_20

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 20, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Mays_Rainbow_21

Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 21, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.

Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Photograph © Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (Nathan Keay)Aspen Mays, Every leaf 175, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Every leaf 187, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Every leaf 188, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Every leaf 205, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Every leaf 293, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 5.33 x 8 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 15, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 16, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 17, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 18, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 19, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 20, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.Aspen Mays, Einstein Rainbow 21, 2009, Archival inkjet print, 24 x 35.5 inches, Edition of 2.