Samantha VanDeman: No Vacancy

Artist’s Statement:

No Vacancy is an ongoing photographic series documenting abandoned hotel interiors that have sat vacant for nearly five to thirty years. With several failed attempts to bring each hotel back to life and plans of demolition, these structures await an uncertain future.

In my work, I’m often drawn to abandoned places that appear to be frozen in time. I use my camera to examine these places that have been forgotten by society. Through the use of color and light, I attempt to capture the beauty and life that once existed in these magnificent environments. By photographing these hotels, I hope to provide a visual record of what might be lost forever.

Artist’s Bio:

Chicago

Born in 1982, Samantha VanDeman grew up in Chicago. She studied fine arts at Columbia College Chicago, receiving a BFA in 2005. In 2009, she earned an MFA in photography from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University.

Selected Exhibitions:
2014 The National: Best Contemporary Photography 2014, Fort Wayne Art Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana
2013 Urbis, Real Collegio in Lucca, Italy
2013 Best of Show, Philadelphia ™s University of the Arts ™ Gallery 1401 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2013 Photography Now 2013, Center for Photography at Woodstock in Woodstock, New York
2012 IPA Best of Show Exhibition, Smashbox Studios in Culver City, California
2011 Window Shopping, Finch and Ada in New York City, New York
2010 Picturing Home, Emory visual Arts Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia
2010 The American Dream, New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana
2009 Boston Young Contemporaries Gallery 808 in Boston, Massachusetts

Selected Publications:
2014 Aesthetica Magazine, February/ March Issue
2013 Flash Forward
2013 LENSCRATCH, November 2013
2013 The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University/ blog
2012 SHOTS, Summer Issue

Awards:
2012 First Place, Architectural Interiors, International Photography Awards
2013 Fourth Place, The Photo Review
2013 Winner, Flash Forward
2012 Review Santa Fe 100