sam taylor-wood    Elements of cinema, photography, and video combine to characterize the works of eminent British photographer Sam Taylor-Wood. Since her first solo exhibition in 1995 at White Cube, her work has received international acclaim. Taylor-Wood was awarded both the Illy Café Prize for Most Promising Young Artist at the Venice Biennale and nominated for the Turner Prize in 1997. Many of her photographs and films deal with the concept of the individual in modern society. Vulnerability, isolation, and spirituality often mark her creative works, and she is not afraid to step in front of the camera in acts of self-exploration. Celebrities like Paul Newman, Woody Harrelson, and Dustin Hoffman have even been subject to the prodding camera of Taylor-Wood. In 2002, she became the first woman and the youngest artist ever to be given a solo exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London. Born in London in 1967 and a graduate of Goldsmiths' College, Taylor-Wood has exhibited at many of the world’s finest institutions including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

A single tree stands alone against an ominous sky bathed in the sunlight of late day. In Self-portrait as a Tree the artist has placed herself in front of the camera which she has before, but she presents her portrait to us in the form of a lone tree. In other self-portraits such as Fuck, Suck, Spank, Wank from 1993 in which the artist stands casually with her pants at her ankles wearing a T-shirt printed with the four provocative title words, Taylor-Wood uses her image in a purposefully challenging manner. In contrast, Self-Portrait as a Tree is an awe-inspiring representation of the artist's deepest feelings and is perhaps more closely akin to her solitary and vulnerable portraits of others. This photograph was taken when Sam Taylor-Wood was suffering through chemotherapy, and the result is a poignant document of her experience at the exact moment it was shot. In addition to comparing this photograph to the paintings of German Romantic artist, Caspar David Friedrich, the artist said, "I was lying on the sofa and someone said, 'come and look at the tree, it’s so amazing at the moment.' And I went out and took my camera with me and took a picture...that single image summed up everything I was feeling."

--Jennifer Tafe, MA, Art History, George Washington University