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.