Congratulations to Tara Sellios whose work has been included in the Museum Fine Arts Boston’s Exhibition Creative Spaces: The Photographer’s Studio as Inspiration. The exhibition invites viewers to explore the little contemplated space of the artist’s studio. Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition includes 30 photographs from the 20th and 21st centuries.

This triptych by Tara Sellios of two dead octopus in silver bowls, Untitled #3 (from Impulses) was executed in 2012 and acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2020. The glistening white bodies of the limp aquatic creatures shines against ruby-to blood red ground that falls to inky darkness. Rich, lush, alluring and repulsive- this image is imbued with a haunting sense of romantic tension, underscored by entangled arms in the center-panel.

Tara Sellios' hauntingly captivating photographs have a way of leaving an indelible mark on one's thoughts and emotions. Sellios’ large format photographs depict meticulously created scenes. Her work leans on and borrows from the armatures of still-life and religious art traditions. Directional light, color, symbolism, and form enrich her painterly and allegorical images. Every aspect of Sellios’ works, is staged in the studio with intention evidenced in pre-cursing drawings. The idea crystallized, assembled as an installation in the studio, then photographed and edited to remove any trace of armatures. The completed artwork is captured with such clarity and precision that it is hyper-real. It feels alive itself.

One cannot help but be fascinated, and perhaps even a little disturbed, by the intricate narratives conjured by each of Sellios’ photographs. Sellios tactfully hints at the symbolism embedded within her work, leaving the interpretation open to the viewer's own free-association. The photographs become windows into our own introspective journeys, inviting us to reflect on the transient nature of existence and the boundless power of our own emotions. From here, we may wonder at our own impulses.

Sellios’ work is not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those who crave a visceral and intellectually challenging experience. It is an invitation to explore the depths of our own consciousness, to confront the essential dichotomies of life and death, and to emerge with a renewed appreciation for the delicate beauty that exists within both. They are not two elements, but the same.

Dates: Now Through April 28, 2024

Location: MFA Boston, 465 Huntington Avenu, Boston, MA 02115

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