statement

It has been said that human beings now have a larger impact on the landscape than rain. Jeremy Underwood's work embodies our complicated relationship with the environment and the contemporary landscape, focusing on the tension between nature and culture shaping these physical spaces. Looking to the land as an agent for meaning, his work examines both the physical terrain and the ideology that we project upon the landscape.

The series of work Human Debris is a commentary on what humans leave in the natural landscape. The project spotlights the environmental condition of Houstonís waterways through the building of site-specific sculptures assembled out of harvested debris collected from the beach. Each found material lends itself to a new creation, encompassing the former life of the debris into each sculpture. These objects are simply artifacts to support the work, photographed in interaction with the landscape, then left to be discovered. This work challenges viewers to reflect upon our consumer culture, the relationship we have with our environment, and the pervasion of pollution.

bio

born: 1980, Missouri

education

University of Houston, MFA, 2014
University of Central Missouri, BS, 2003
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, England, 2002

selected awards/honors

The Puffin Foundation Artist Grant, 2014
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts Fellowship, 2013
Yaddo Artists Residency, 2013
Doctoral Fellowship, University of Houston, 2011

selected publications

Photo District News, PDN Photo Annual, 2014
FotoFest 2014 Biennial, 2014
Photo District News, The Curator, 2013

selected group shows

Environmental Portraiture, Newspace Center for Photography, Portland, Oregon, 2014
The National: Best Contemporary Photography, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2014
Moving Still, FotoFest, Houston, Texas, 2013
Moving Still, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, Texas, 2013