AMERICAN SQUARES (2013-2018)
From 2013 through 2018, Leah Frances explored America’s real and imagined images of itself through the lens of her camera. Interested in the distance between commonly held ideas surrounding “Americanness” and the actual reality of daily life in this country, Leah examined these constructed perspectives, taking road trips to document traces of American cultural identity across as much of the country as she could reach. She found that the way she chose to frame the content of her photographs: to leave out what she wanted but also to include what she wanted could create a sort of displaced experience, an alternate reality both for the photographer doing the composing and for the viewer doing the looking. The resulting image could become a portal for the viewer, allowing for a flexible experience of time. “This woman photographs the past” — 20 Minuten (Switzerland).
“American Squares,” debuted as a photobook in September 2019 at the New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1. It was quickly featured by T, The New York Times Style Magazine, in their “T Suggests: Things our Editors Like” column.
Select Press for “American Squares”
10/2019: AINT-BAD, An Independent Publisher of New Photographic Art, IN CONVERSATION: LEAH FRANCES
09/2019: Lenscratch, Fine Art Photography Daily, Leah Frances: American Squares
09/2019: Photo-Emphasis, Project Spotlight: American Squares
09/2019: T, The New York Times Style Magazine, T Suggests: Photographing the Relics of a Bygone America
09/2019: Lomography Magazine, Leah Frances' American Squares Finally Goes Print
09/2019: PHROOM Magazine (Italy), Leah Frances, American Squares