Jeanette May

"Tech Vanitas: Graffiti Speakers" Contemporary Still-life Photo of Vintage Tech

2016

Jeanette May is a photo-based artist using a critical, sometimes playful, approach to investigate representation. Early training as a painter is evident in her carefully arranged compositions and rich color palette. May’s photographs are constructed, staged, lit, and carefully considered. Her recent still life projects embrace technology, design, and obsolescence. May received her MFA in Photography from CalArts and her BFA in Painting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. May’s photographs are exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Milan, Athens, Barcelona, and Shanghai. Her “Tech Vanitas” series appeared in the NY City Bryant Park/42nd Street subway station as part of the MTA Arts & Design Lightbox Project. She was commissioned by Audubon Magazine to create tech still lifes for an article on rare bird alerts and obsolete tech. May’s photographs were also published in Aesthetica Magazine, Barbara Magazine (Germany), Dodho Magazine, Lenscratch, and numerous photography journals. May has been awarded grants, fellowships, and residencies from the NEA Regional Artists’ Projects Fund, Brooklyn Arts Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Ms. Foundation.