Jessica Auer is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker and educator, who works from a decommissioned fish factory in Seydisfjördur, Iceland. Her work is broadly concerned with the study of landscapes as cultural sites. Through a research-based practice, she examines our social, political and aesthetic attitudes towards place, including but not limited to – historical sites, tourist destinations, and small communities.
Working mainly with large format photography, Jessica is best known for her tableau-style photographs that examine the ways in which landscapes have been preserved, altered or commodified for sightseeing. Through these photographs, she expresses a deep concern for nature and the vulnerability of remote sites and communities when confronted with mass tourism. Her images aim to reveal the geo-political realities surrounding travel and the paradox of attempting to preserve the same landscapes that the industry often seeks to exploit.
Jessica received her MFA from Concordia University in Montréal, where she teaches part-time in the Photography department. Her work has been presented in several museums, galleries and festivals, such as the Canadian Center for Architecture, The Reykjavík Museum of Photography and the COTM photography festival in Cortona, Italy.
Jessica has been awarded grants and prizes for photography, art and cinema, and has been featured by Prefix Photo (Canada), Femmes Photographes (Paris), Radio Canada International, ARTE television network, and the Guardian. As her work often responds to place, she has participated in several residency programs including the Banff Centre in Canada, The Brucebo Foundation in Gotland and Bær Art Center in Iceland. Jessica was most recently awarded a residency with Artlink at Fort Dunree in Ireland.
While in Iceland, Jessica runs Ströndin Studio, an organization dedicated to research and education in the field of photography.
GET IN TOUCH: jessica_auer [@] hotmail.com
INSTAGRAM: @ jessica.auer
PRESS:
Download Article by James D. Campbell from Ciel Variable
Feature Interview on Radio Canada International
Download Article by Michelle Kasprazak from Ciel Variable
Download Interview from Tilted Arc
Download Interview from Veine Magazine