Emerging from the darkest depths and exploding in a burst of light, Christy Lee Rogers’ photographs in The Muses are sure to inspire. Figures and fabric combust in radiant scenes evoking memories of passion, tragedy, and playful exuberance. Since antiquity, muses have been called upon by artists to aid in the writing of poetry and heart wrenching dramas, to guide the feet of dancers, to inspire laughter, or to provoke deep contemplation of history and the stars. Throughout the exhibit, visitors will be encouraged to imagine, engage, and create based on inspiration gained from The Muses.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Christy Lee Rogers’ obsession with water as a medium for breaking the conventions of contemporary photography has led to her work being compared to Baroque painting masters like Caravaggio. Boisterous in color and complexity, Rogers applies her original technique to a barrage of bodies submerged in water during the night, and creates her effects using the refraction of light. Through a fragile process of experimentation, she builds elaborate scenes of coalesced colors and entangled bodies that exalt the human character as one of vigor and warmth, while also capturing the beauty and vulnerability of the occasionally tragic experience that is the human condition. Her beautiful artistry recently caught the eye of James Cameron and Disney which resulted in a commission to shoot the stars of Avatar (Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet) to raise money for The Nature Conservancy.
Rogers, a visual artist from Kailua, Hawaii, is currently based in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. Rogers’ works have been exhibited globally from Paris, London, Italy, Mexico City to Shanghai, Sao Paulo, South Africa, Los Angeles and more, and are held in private and public collections throughout the world. She has been featured in International Magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar Art China, Elle Decoration, Global Times, The Independent, Casa Vogue, Photo Technique, Photo Korea and others. Rogers’ "Reckless Unbound" is currently housed at Longleat House in the UK; the stately home, which is the seat of the Marquesses of Bath and also home to Renaissance gems of the Italian masters, like Titan’s "Rest on the Flight into Egypt." She is a two time finalist for the Contemporary Talents Award from the Fondation François Schneider in France, and has been commissioned by Apple to create underwater images with the iPhone 11Pro, as well as being featured in one of their behind-the-scenes process films. Rogers' art has been featured on several album covers, including “Orchesography” for the 80’s band Wang Chung, and her images were selected for the 2013–2014 performance season of the Angers-Nantes Opera in France. In 2019 she won Open Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards and in 2020 she created the cover image for the 2021 Lavazza Calendar ‘The New Humanity.’
In connection with this exhibit, The Muses Educational Series will encourage visitors to imagine, engage, and create based on inspiration gained from The Muses through a series of hands-on workshops and events connected with each of the nine Greek Muses. Sessions will be held at the Parthenon, off-site, or virtually — all through partnerships with Nashville creatives and beloved local institutions. Inspired by the Greek Muses and their unique areas of influence, the workshops will include modern dance instruction, comedy improv, writing seminars, and more to enhance the exhibition’s impact on our local community.
The Muses exhibition presenting sponsor:
