Alexis Pike: Claimed: Landscape

Artist’s Statement:

As a sixth generation Idahoan, the landscape of the West is a part of my personal and cultural history, it is the geography of my genes. I grew up in two very distinct areas of Idaho: the scenic area of Stanley Basin– which sits at the base of the Sawtooth Mountain Range–and the town of Idaho Falls–a community that revolves around agriculture, religion and nuclear power. Living in these two regions gave me the perspective to appreciate the delicate balance of the scenic and the mundane and recognize how they overlap one another. I am exploring in this work the way communities and individuals stake claims on the picturesque landscape and place it within the conventional structures of the community. The manner in which we depict this scenery has become the identity and perception of the American West, often symbolized by wilderness, mountain peaks, crystal clear rivers, and big game animals; it is the mythology of the West.

Artist’s Bio:

Bozeman, MO

Alexis Pike received her BFA from Boise State University and her MFA from the University of Iowa. She has exhibited work at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon, her work was included in SFMOMA’s 2011 Art Auction, she was one of five finalists for the Seattle Art Museum’s Betty Bowen Award, a Top 50 finalist for Critical Mass, received an Honorable Mention for Lens Culture’s International Exposure Award and included in the exhibition Looking at the Land: 21st Century American Views curated by Andy Adams. She has lectured about her work at various institutions, including: Photo Alliance in San Francisco. Alexis Pike lives in Bozeman, Montana where she is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Montana State University.