Photography by Ernestine Ruben
Exhibition Dates: December 15–February 13, 2009
Public Reception: December 19, 2008, 6–8 pm
Bernstein Gallery, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Contact: Kate Somers - 609.497.2441

The Bernstein Gallery is pleased to present “Imagined Landscapes”, photographs by Ernestine Ruben. The exhibition runs from December 15, 2008 through February 13, 2009. There will be a reception open to the public on December 19 from 6 to 8 pm. With this latest body of work on the Chinese landscape, Ruben continues to experiment with new concepts and techniques as they apply to the medium of photography.

“Imagined Landscapes” are images that were inspired by several trips to China by Ruben over the past two years. Invited to lecture, attend workshops, and exhibit her work, the artist took time during her visits to travel the countryside with a young University student who acted as her assistant and translator. The outcome of these travels was a focus on the environmental degradation of China’s landscape. The impact of pollution became a rich source for visual inquiry and art making for the artist.

Commenting on the impact of pollution on a landscape still full of beauty and poetry, Ruben writes, “I decided I would intervene as an artist. Where there was pollution, I would inject clean air. Where there was decomposition, I would repair and further deconstruct.” By combining photography with painting, drawing and digital imaging, Ruben has composed mysterious, brooding landscapes of China’s countryside and rural villages.

Ernestine Ruben is internationally known through extensive exhibitions, books, and workshops. She has photographed the human body for years and now focuses her eye on landscapes and architecture. Her work is included in many major museums and private collections. Published work includes, In Human Touch: Photographs by Ernestine Ruben; Ruben on Rodin; and Ernestine Ruben: A Retrospective Exhibition of Photography. She lives and works in Princeton, New Jersey and New York City.