Tina Barney: Homecoming features photographs Barney made between 1976 and 1980 when the internationally renowned artist was living in Ketchum, Idaho, and taking photography classes at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts (now the Sun Valley Museum of Art). Made with a Pentax 35mm camera, the images document the daily life and activities of the people closest to Barney and are representative of a key stage in her trajectory as an artist before she began working with a large format camera to make carefully composed and directed photographs. In contrast, the images in this exhibition, which were made in Sun Valley, Rhode Island, and New York, are more spontaneous. But like her later photographs, these early works illuminate the subtle interactions and psychological tensions that occur among family and friends even in moments of leisure—at weddings and on squash courts, at the beach, waterpark, or a ski race. Characterized by unique perspectives and unexpected cropping, Barney’s early photographs compel viewers to look closely and engage in a deeper exploration of each photograph's content and context.
