Patty Carroll is an American photographer well known for her highly saturated, colorful photographs. Her most recent project, the “Anonymous Women” series, addresses women and their complicated relationship with domesticity, while simultaneously creating a humorous game of hide and seek between the viewers and the anonymous women. In this series, a lone woman is hidden amongst the colorful clutter. The subject is the conflation of woman and home. The images below are form the “Reconstructed” series, which is a commentary on obsession with collecting, designing, and decorating.
Carroll grew up in a time when suburban life was idealized. The home was considered a place of perfection and harmony, a shelter from the harsh reality of the outside world, where people were normal and had no dark secrets. During that time, women had a very domestic role; maintaining the house and entertaining guests as well as taking care of the family. Carroll’s photographs create worlds that debunk, critique, and satirize the myths of household perfection.
Patty Carroll, Seventy
Patty Carroll, Jungly
Patty Carroll, Planty