Mike and Doug Starn
American, born 1961

Identical twins Mike and Doug Starn have never been interested in producing fine, pristine, black and white prints. Instead, they deliberately subvert expectations of “fine photography” by crumpling, ripping, folding, toning, and scoring the photographic paper. They also scratch negatives, and sometimes splash chemicals on the prints to create blotches that resemble the effects of paint.  One of their most distinctive practices is patching fragments of printed photographs together with Scotch tape. The tape will yellow over time and stain the prints, so the work will continue to change as it ages—which is exactly what the Starns want. 

Just as the Starns play with expectations about photography, they are equally playful with the title, White Rose. Here a (presumably) white rose is the primary subject, but the Starns also include a collage of rose-toned photographic paper in the lower quadrant.  Does “white rose” describe the subject, or the predominant colors?

Photo collage, 1985
Gift of Temperance P. Reed in memory of Samuel R. Reed, and Elizabeth C. Mau Bequest Fund, by exchange, 2005.278
© 2007 Mike and Doug Starn /Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York