1993-1995: Attended the Interlochen Arts Academy. Studied photography with
Greg Ceo
1995-1999: Attended Bard College: Graduated 1999 with a degree in Photography and Creative Writing. Studied Photography with Stephen Shore,
Larry Fink, Vic Muniz and Barbara Ess. Studied creative writing with Robert Kelly and John Ashbery.
1997-2000: Worked as a photography assistant to Lynn Davis.
2000 - Present: Lives and works in New York City.
Awards
1999: The Eugene Atget Prize for Documentary Photography
2001: Selected by Artlink and Sotheby’s as a 2001 Emerging International
Young Artist
Upcoming Publications
Fall 2002: 25 and Under : The Next Generation of American Photography ,
Sponsored by Duke University and published by Double Take and Norton
B R I A N M C K E E
204 Franklin Street
Brooklyn New York
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Artist Statement
My current body of work is focused on two main subjects: Abandoned Spaces
built in the former Soviet East Germany and Eastern Europe and photographs
from Etzweiler an abandoned town outside Koln, Germany. The photographs from
Eastern Europe explore Military Bases, Factories and Apartment Buildings of
the former Soviet Empire. The socio-historical images explore spaces that
represent the dreams and failure of the Soviet Government. A group of large
room-sized posters depicting tropical landscapes, idyllic Black Forest
cottages and an American city represent the dreams of a society closed off
from the outside world, while the dilapidated, empty spaces reflect the
failure of their own social systems. The photographs from Etzweiler in
Western Germany depicts a once prosperous town that has recently been
abandoned after the German Government discovered large deposits of coal
under the town and surrounding area. All houses and property were bought
from the inhabitants and it is now set for demolition. These images explore
a society that came to an end due to it’s own prosperity, which is in direct
opposition to the demise of the Soviet Empire. Although the spaces are also
empty and some falling apart they truly depict a different society, one that
had no need to lose themselves in a world out of their reach. The true power
in of the images reveals itself in the end when we realize how similar both
societies are once they become abandoned.
