CC Projects is pleased to present As it Was Give(n) to Me, an immersive installation of works by the American photographer Stacy Kranitz (b. 1976). Working within the documentary tradition, Kranitz makes photographs that acknowledge the limitations of photographic representation, considering the consequences of regarding photographs as a representation of truth. Probing the fantasy of objectivity, the artist reclaims the medium as a vehicle for deeper understanding and engagement with the moments, lives, and regions she explores, provoking a triadic conversation between the artist, the subject, and the audience.
Since 2009, Kranitz has focused on documenting the Appalachian region of the United States, presenting an intimate perspective on a region forced to transition away from coal extraction as its dominant source of economic stability, an opioid epidemic that has wreaked havoc on communities, and the role of Appalachia in a politically divided nation. Confronting photography’s legacy of perpetuating a simplistic portrayal of poverty in the region, Kranitz explores how the medium can both reinforce and challenge stereotypes. In As it Was Give(n) to Me (2009-2024), Kranitz neither seeks to rectify nor perpetuate past portrayals of the region. Rather, the artist implores us to reconsider our perceptions of culture and place.
This exhibition marks the artist’s debut presentation of As it Was Give(n) to Me in New York City. The installation showcases an extensive archive of the artist’s exploration of the region and its evolution over time, featuring over 90 works including photographs, accumulated imagery, texts, and sculptural artifacts presented in five chapters: Arrival, Exploration, Extraction, Mutiny, and Salvation. The presentation also includes a selection of photographs from From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood, a concurrent ongoing series in which the artist documents a group of young men at a dystopian compound in Ohio to understand how violence can function as catharsis.
