Label TextAnna Gaskell uses photography to create fantastical images inspired by film and literature. She manipulates camera angles and depth of field to achieve a surreal, dreamlike quality in her work. Gaskell’s characters are nearly always young girls or women, which she uses to explore the secret worlds of children and female identity. Untitled #60 from the series by Proxy refers to Munchausen’s syndrome by Proxy, a disease in which adults poison or inflict inj ury onto children or dependents to garner attention and present themselves as dedicated caregivers. The iconic white nurse’s uniform is a symbol of medical authority and compassion, but the strange, ground level point of view is oddly sinister, as are the extra set of legs coming from the single skirt. Gaskell’s work can be interpreted in many ways, from a nightmarish alternate reality to a meditation on the limitations, threats, and expectations placed on young women.
DimensionsImage: 60 1/2 × 72 × 5/8 in. (153.7 × 182.9 × 1.6 cm)
Accession Number 2006.21
Classificationsphotograph
Edition1/3
Portfolio/Seriesby Proxy series
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