Caryline Boreham
Biography
Caryline Boreham’s photography focuses on society’s hidden spaces, familiar yet other, inscribed with both tacit and explicit cultural information. In her work, there is a tension between the physicality of the spaces and the intangible laws that govern our perception of them.
Boreham’s chosen subjects are often-inaccessible institutional interiors, devoid of human presence, illuminated by artificial light. The emptiness of these rooms draws attention away from the specific moments of human interaction that take place inside, directing the viewer to consider the omnipresent cultural laws and procedural rules that are inscribed upon the space. In this way, Boreham’s photographs index the information that dictates behaviour and perception in the scenarios depicted, reflexively encouraging the viewer to consider the cultural codes that define their own behaviours.
There is also a contradiction within the works between the utilitarian design of the interiors and the photographic aesthetic of the artist. Boreham’s photographs are carefully designed, balanced, symmetrical. This aesthicisation inscribes another layer of information on the rooms, as they are now considered not primarily in their intended context but in the context of artistic composition and art history. The standards brought to the work by the viewer are not related to the original situation but to the final image, and relate not to function but to beauty and visual appeal.
Boreham allows this reconsideration of the context of her works to draw attention to the ways cultural laws define how we respond to the spaces photographed in a variety of contexts.
BORN: Rotorua
LIVES: Auckland
EDUCATION: 2010 Master of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University, Auckland
2009 Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University, Auckland
2008 Bachelor of Design (Photography Pathway), Unitec, Carrington, Auckland
2006 Diploma of Contemporary Photography, Unitec, Carrington, Auckland
EXHIBITIONS: (Group) Territory George Fraser Gallery, Auckland (2010). Young Blood Salon City Art Rooms, Auckland (2009). Knowyounevermetyou. South Georgia University, Athens, GA, USA (2009). Eyes Wide Open Unitec, Carrington, Auckland (2009). Fine Sanderson Contemporary Art and City Art Rooms, Auckland (2007). Pingyao International Photography Festival. Pingyao, China (2007)
PUBLICATIONS: (Self published)
2005: 52 Days 2006: Interior 2009: Cultures of Control 2010: STATE-SPACE
- https://www.sanderson.co.nz/Artist/79/Caryline-Boreham.aspx
Currently working as a Lecturer at Whitecliffe, Auckland
Caryline’s work has been exhibited and published in New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe. Internationally she has received nominations for the Prix Pictet Photography Prize in 2013 and 2016; with her work being featured in the 2017 Prix Pictet ‘Space’ publication. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Wallace Arts Trust Collection.
- https://www.whitecliffe.ac.nz/caryline-boreham
Boreham’s chosen subjects are often-inaccessible institutional interiors, devoid of human presence, illuminated by artificial light. The emptiness of these rooms draws attention away from the specific moments of human interaction that take place inside, directing the viewer to consider the omnipresent cultural laws and procedural rules that are inscribed upon the space. In this way, Boreham’s photographs index the information that dictates behaviour and perception in the scenarios depicted, reflexively encouraging the viewer to consider the cultural codes that define their own behaviours.
There is also a contradiction within the works between the utilitarian design of the interiors and the photographic aesthetic of the artist. Boreham’s photographs are carefully designed, balanced, symmetrical. This aesthicisation inscribes another layer of information on the rooms, as they are now considered not primarily in their intended context but in the context of artistic composition and art history. The standards brought to the work by the viewer are not related to the original situation but to the final image, and relate not to function but to beauty and visual appeal.
Boreham allows this reconsideration of the context of her works to draw attention to the ways cultural laws define how we respond to the spaces photographed in a variety of contexts.
BORN: Rotorua
LIVES: Auckland
EDUCATION: 2010 Master of Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University, Auckland
2009 Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts, Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University, Auckland
2008 Bachelor of Design (Photography Pathway), Unitec, Carrington, Auckland
2006 Diploma of Contemporary Photography, Unitec, Carrington, Auckland
EXHIBITIONS: (Group) Territory George Fraser Gallery, Auckland (2010). Young Blood Salon City Art Rooms, Auckland (2009). Knowyounevermetyou. South Georgia University, Athens, GA, USA (2009). Eyes Wide Open Unitec, Carrington, Auckland (2009). Fine Sanderson Contemporary Art and City Art Rooms, Auckland (2007). Pingyao International Photography Festival. Pingyao, China (2007)
PUBLICATIONS: (Self published)
2005: 52 Days 2006: Interior 2009: Cultures of Control 2010: STATE-SPACE
- https://www.sanderson.co.nz/Artist/79/Caryline-Boreham.aspx
Currently working as a Lecturer at Whitecliffe, Auckland
Caryline’s work has been exhibited and published in New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe. Internationally she has received nominations for the Prix Pictet Photography Prize in 2013 and 2016; with her work being featured in the 2017 Prix Pictet ‘Space’ publication. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Wallace Arts Trust Collection.
- https://www.whitecliffe.ac.nz/caryline-boreham
Place Of Birth
Nationality