# Connie Imboden

Connie Imboden was born in 1953 and is an American photographer known for her work in nudes, using reflections in water and mirrors. Her photographs are represented in many collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany, as well as many other public and private collections throughout Europe and the Americas.
Imboden has shown her photography work in groups and solo shows at galleries and museums throughout the United States, South America, Europe and China.
Connie Imboden's first book, Out of Darkness, with essays compiled by Charles-Henri Favrod and A.D. Coleman, which won the Silver Medal in Switzerland's "Schonste Bucher Aus Aller Welt (Most Beautiful Book in the World)" Award in 1993.
Following "Out of Darkness", Imboden released two monographs in 1999. The first, "Beauty of Darkness", features 80 images of her work produced between 1986 and 1998. It also featured introductions by A.D. Coleman and Arthur Ollman. The second book, "The Raw Seduction of Flesh", features work produced in 1998 and an introduction by Mitchell Snow.
Her most recent monograph, "Reflections; 25 Years of Photography", was published in 2009 by Insight Editions with essays by Arthur Ollman, Julian Cox and John Wood.
Connie Imboden was an instructor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where her experience as a photographer began, and has also taught at the Maine Photographic Workshops, the International Center of Photography in New York City, the Center for Photography in Woodstock, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in France, and the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops.

## Early work

Imboden was introduced to photography during the summer following her junior year of high school when she enrolled in a Basic Photography course at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Previously showing no interest in art, she was inspired by Diane Arbus's work and her expression through photography. It quickly became a passionate pursuit that would last a lifetime.
Experimenting with negatives by cutting, scratching, and melting them, Imboden's early images are introspective self-portraits that show early signs of the psychological qualities that would eventually become characteristic of her work. Many of these photographs depict the representation of masks, another recurring theme through Imboden's career.

## Working with water

Imboden's work with water began in 1983, while out photographing, she became intrigued by specular bursts of sunlight bouncing off puddles after a heavy rain. She continued to explore the reflective properties of water until one day a friend volunteered to model nude in a stream Imboden had been photographing in. The human form, distorted, reflected, and transformed as it was submerged in water, would eventually become the inspiration for her life's work.
Imboden would continually discover new ways to explore her subject matter. Her early images incorporate the moving water of streams or the unavoidable reflection of trees. These are graphic elements that further transform the figure in ways that heighten the psychological aspect of the work. Later, in images such as Dead Silences I & II, Imboden photographed above the surface of a black lined kiddie pool, which improved the visibility of the reflection as well as the magnification and refraction of the water. The images working with this method illustrate elongated forms, fluid and often tranquil due to the stillness of the water.
Imboden's work with the human form and water incorporate three distinct layers; the body above the surface of the water, its reflection, and the body submerged. When she eventually began photographing underwater, she would also use the meniscus of the water to further distort and transform the body. Her images throughout the years of 1997–2000 feature bizarre, organic forms – familiar in their flesh but alien in their reconstructed form. In an interview, Imboden is quoted as saying "... there is nothing more repulsive nor more attractive to us than flesh. This confrontation with flesh in an unidentified form makes us uncomfortable. We don’t know what we are looking at, but we know it is human.”

## Working with mirrors

Photographing models in water was not an option during the cold winter months for Imboden. To continue to deal with reflections and human figures throughout the year, she began using mirrors in 1989." The problem was that the mirrors only provided one reflective layer, instead of the three. She had grown accustomed to working with what models that displayed potential to distort and transform the figure. Her early attempts at disrupting the clean and crisp reflections involved smearing oil on the mirror's surface, as seen in Untitled #2455.
Seeking to alter the surface even further, Imboden, began scratching the silver backing off of the mirrors she was working with and making them transparent in some places while still reflective in others. Putting a model behind the mirror made them visible in the areas where the mirror was transparent, a model in front can be seen in the parts that are still reflective. Through the relationship of the models in front of and behind the mirror, as well as her camera angle, she discovered a similar effect to the refractive properties of the water. In the only self-portrait she produced since the 1970s, Self Portrait 1990, Imboden, imperfectly lines up her profile in front of the mirror with a models face behind the mirror, creating a distorted portrait by combining two different views into one, reminiscent of the quality of space in a Cubist painting.
The smearing and scraping of the mirrors soon lead to generating a marred, scratched texture on their surface. Resembling the "hatching" technique in medieval printmaking. Many of Imboden's images that illustrate this texture have a dark, mythological quality to them, as in Untitled #3573. By incorporating this texture with the model showing through from behind the mirror and the one reflected in front, Imboden was once again working with three distinct layers.

## Working with color

As photographing with film became more challenging with the medium's overwhelming shift to digital in the early 2000's, Imboden began working with a digital camera in 2008. These early explorations revealed yet another layer for transforming and redefining the human form, incorporating color into her images for the first time. Due to the transformative effects that water has on the perception of color- specifically the absorption of longer, warmer wavelengths of light- Imboden's early color images drastically separate forms seen above versus below the water's surface. Her methods for lighting the body exaggerate this differentiation, giving the body outside the water an ethereal, flame-like feel that contrasts with the hardened, cold, stone-like feel of the body underneath.
With a newfound passion and enthusiasm to explore this new dimension, Imboden would eventually try to recreate the same effect in a complex studio environment, revisiting her work with the mirrors with the addition of an assortment of gels, colored backdrops, and cloths. Much of the work created through this process has a more psychological, sometimes narrative quality, often depicting figures that bear resemblances to archetypal characters throughout mythology.

## Personal life

Imboden is married to Dr. Patricia Dwyer. The couple live in Maryland.

## Education, teaching experience, and boards/affiliations

Source: Maryland Institute College of Art

### Education
#### 1986–1988

* Master of Fine Arts, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

#### 1977–1978

* Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, Towson State University, Baltimore, Maryland

#### 1971–1973

* Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland

### Teaching Experience
#### 2002–present

* Santa Fe Workshops, Santa Fe, New Mexico

#### 1996–present

* Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland

#### 1995–present

* School for Photographic Studies in Prague, Czech Republic

#### 1993–present

* Maine Photographic Workshops, Rockport, Maine

#### 1997

* International Center For Photography, New York City

#### 1995

* Center for Photography in Woodstock, New York

#### 1994

* Recontres Internationales de la Photographie Workshop, Arles, France

## Collections

Source: Maryland Institute College of Art
* The Museum of Modern Art, New York City
* The Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California
* The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
* The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
* Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia
* The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.
* The Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland
* Museo Alejandro Otero, Caracas, Venezuela
* The National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C.
* The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland
* The Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
* The Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France
* The Bibliothèque Lyonnaise, Lyon, France
* The Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C.
* Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
* Kresge Art Museum, East Lansing, Michigan
* Galerie du Chateau d'eau, Toulouse, France
* Galleria e libreria dell'immagine, Milan, Italy
* Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
* L'oeil Quiperios, Quimper, France
* Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany

## Selected solo exhibitions

Source: Maryland Institute College of Art
2024
* The American University Museum at The Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C.
2016
* Y:Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2015
* Infocus Galerie, Cologne, Germany
2014
* Almlof Gallery, Malmö, Sweden
* JRB Art at The Elms, Oklahoma City, OK
2013
* Nordic Light Festival, Kristensund, Norway 2011 – Saul Mednick Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2010
* Hargate Gallery, Concord, Massachusetts
2009
* Maine Art Museum, Bangor, Maine
* See+ Art Gallery, Beijing, China
* Heineman Myers Contemporary Art, Bethesda, Maryland Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, Delaware
2008
* Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, Arizona Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Valdivia, Chile Universidad de Chilie, Santiago, Chile
* Centro de la Photographie, Lima, Peru
2007
* Museo Metropolitano, Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidad Mayor, Temeco, Chile
* James Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2006
* Heineman Meyers, Bethesda, Maryland
2005
* Esther Woerdehoff Galerie, Paris, France
* Infocus Galerie, Cologne, Germany 2004 – Volakis Gallery, Nappa, California
2004
* Volakis Gallery, Nappa, California
2003
* Packard & Wreath Gallery, Lewes, Delaware
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland
2002
* Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2001
* Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California
* JJ Brookings Gallery, San Francisco, California
* Galerie Waldburger, Berlin, Germany
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* Edward Carter Gallery, Lewes, Delaware
* Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2000
* Centro de la Fotographia, Lima, Peru
* Infocus Gallery, Cologne, Germany
* JJ Brookings Gallery, San Francisco, California
* Bassetti Fine Art Photographs, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Emma Molina Galerie, Monterey, Mexico
1999
* Gomez Gallery Baltimore, Maryland
* Esther Woerdehoff Galerie, Paris, France
* Alan Klotz PhotoCollect New York City
* George Mason University, The Johnson Center and FineArts Galleries, Fairfax, Virginia
1998
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
1997
* Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Panama
* Museo de las Americas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
* Infocus Gallery, Cologne, Germany
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* Museo de Barquisimento, Venezuela
* Museo de Arte Costarricense, San Jose, Costa Rica
* Galeria del Ateneo de Valencia, Valencia, Venezuela
1996
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* Museo Alejandro Otero, Caracas, Venezuela
* Witkin Gallery, New York City
1995
* ThirdEye Photoworks, The Internet
* Imagery Gallery, Lancaster, Ohio
1994
* Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* Gallery Finfoto, Helsinki, Finland
* Galleria 13, Espace Van Gogh, Arles, France
* Braggiotti Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
* Galleria e libreria dell'immagine, Milan, Italy
* The University of Notre Dame, Indiana
1993
* Galerie du Chateau d'eau, Toulouse, France
* Imagery Gallery, Lancaster, Ohio
* Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, Virginia
* Washington Center for Photography, Washington D.C.
* Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1992
* Witkin Gallery, New York City
* Suzel Berna Gallery, Paris, France
* Grauwert Gallery, Hamburg, German
* Towson State University, Baltimore, Maryland
1991
* Momediano Gallerie de Arte, Madrid, Spain
* New Works Gallery, University of Illinois at Chicago
* The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* The Nye Gomez Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* Blatant Image/Silver Eye, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1990
* Photo West Gallery, San Diego, California
* Iris Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida
1989
* Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
* Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
1988
* The Rosenberg Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
* The Booktrader's Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

## Monographs and catalogues

Source: Maryland Institute College of Art
2009
* Reflections: 25 Years of Photography by Connie Imboden, published by Insight Editions. Preface by Julian Cox, foreword by John Wood, Introduction by Arthur Ollman
2007
* Connie Imboden, La Oscuridad Divina Catalogue Museo Metropolitano
2006
* Connie Imboden: Re-Fromation, catalogue
2003
* Imboden Photographs Catalogue
2001
* Piercing Illusions, Published by Foto Books Press, San Francisco & New York, text by John Wood, Interview by John Weiss
1999
* Beauty of Darkness, Monograph published by Custom and Limited Editions Text by Arthur Ollman, and A.D.Coleman
* Raw Seduction of Flesh Monograph published by Silver Arts, London England Text by Mitchell Snow
1998
* Inter U terus Catalogue, Published By Gomez Gallery
1996
* "Connie Imboden" Catalog for Museo Alejandro Otero
1993
* Connie Imboden Conversation by Jean–Claude Lemagny, Text by Robert Pujade, Published by GalerieMunicipale du Chateau d'Eau, Toulouse, France.
1992
* Out of Darkness by Connie Imboden. Text by AD Coleman and Charles Henri Favrod Edited and published by Esther Woerdehoff, Zurich and Paris. Printed in Switzerland.

## Publications

Source: Maryland Institute College of Art

### 2018

* Plethora Magazine, "Issue #7: Automation", Copenhagen, Denmark

### 2017

* Baltimore Magazine, "The Puppet Master" by Gabriella Souza, February 2017
* The OD Review, "v2.18 / Connie Imboden’s Infirm Delight"

### 2016

* BmoreArt, "Conversations" Episode #15: Connie Imboden, Interview with Liz Donadio
* The Baltimore Sun, October 14, Interview with Tim Smith

### 2015

* ">>Love is…<<", inFocus galerie catalogue
* Little Patuxent Review, COVER Feature, Issue 17-Winter 2015
* The Stone Mag: unveiling the secrets of transmutation, 2015 n. 0

### 2014

* The Photographer’s Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas
* NORMAL Magazine, No. 4, Autumn 2014

### 2013

* FOTO, "Connie Imboden, Reflections of Man" October 2013

### 2010

* Georgia Review, "Danse Macabre". Front and back cover and inside portfolio

### 2008

* Focus Magazine, "Fire and Water" 1/8/08
* RS Magazine, "Connie Imboden" June 2008

### 2007

* Foto Mundo, "La Oscuradad Divina" June 2007 2006 – Baltimore Sun, Wednesday April 12, Arts & Society 2005 – Inked Magazine, cover, Spring Premiere Issue

### 2003

* Baltimore Sun, November 2, Arts & Society
* Baltimore City Paper, December 3, 2003 " Art"
* Towson Times, December 3, 2003, Life Times

### 2002

* Ag, Volume November 29, 2002, "Running Deeper: The Metamorphes of Connie Imboden," A.D. Coleman
* Photovision: Art & Technique
* Foto & Video February 2002

### 2001

* Zoom, July 2001 "Connie Imboden", David Crosby
* PHOTOgraphic, July 2001 "Connie Imboden: Troubled Waters", Jay Jorgensen

### 2000

* B&W Magazine, June 2000 "Connie Imboden Body Transformer" Shawn O'Sullivan, Issue 7
* Photographie, June 2000 "Connie Imboden" PortfolioPhotoPlus, June 2000 "THE BODY, Distortions and Realities" Ghislaine De La Villeguerin

### 1999

* Baltimore Magazine, Sept 1999, "Connie Imboden"
* Baltimore Sunday Sun, September 12, Arts and Society "Body Language" Glenn McNatt
* Photo Metro, Vol17 Issue 155 "Connie Imboden"

### 1998

* The Photo Review, Fall 1998, Vol 21 #4, "Connie Imboden" by Susan Ciccotti
* Master Breasts, Aperture Publishing, New York City

### 1997

* Leg, Donna Karan Inc., General Publishing Group

### 1995

* Women Artists, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Susan Fisher Sterling
* Zoom Magazine, Milan, Italy
* Photodom Magazine January "Connie Imboden: Out Of Darkness", Taiwan

### 1994

* Valokuva Finnish Photography, November, "Connie Imboden Vesi Ja Peili" Helsinki Finland
* Tradition and the Unpredictable, Catalog for the show at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
* Photographies Magazine. January, "Connie Imboden" Milan, Italy

### 1993

* ViewCamera, September/October, "Connie Imboden –Beneath the Surface", Sacramento, California
* Photo Review, Winter, "Connie Imboden: An Interview", Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

### 1992

* Photovision, "Archeology of the Body", #23, Sevilla, Spain
* La Foltgrafia, "Reflejos en el Agua", Issue #23, Barcelona, Spain
* Vis a Vis, "acquisitions de la Bibliotheque Nationale", Issue #10, Paris, France
* Photonews, "Imboden: Ein Spiegel nach innen", April, Hamburg, Germany

### 1991

* Fotopractica, January, Milan, Italy Fotografisk Tidskrift, May Stockholm, Sweden
* Photoblatter, "Connie Imboden: Korper im Wasser", August, Frankfurt, Germany
* Camera and Darkroom, August, Beverly Hills, California
* Idea Magazine, "New Wave Nude Photos", January, Tokyo, Japan

### 1990

* Popular Photography, "They Still Shoot Nudes Don't They", October, New York City
* Insight Magazine, February, Bristol, Rhode Island

### 1989

* Photo Metro Magazine, January, San Francisco, California
* Photo Design Magazine, February, New York City

### 1988

* Swimmers, Aperture, June, New York City
* Exploring Black and White Photography, by Arnold Gasson. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa
* Photo Review, Winter, "Deep Waters – The Photographs of Connie Imboden", Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Photo Review, Spring, "The Delaware Portfolio" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

### 1987

* Photo Review, Summer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

## Works

* Beauty Of Darkness, Custom & limited ed., 1999, ISBN 978-1-881529-56-9
* The raw seduction of flesh, Silver Arts, 1999, ISBN 978-1-902613-02-4
* Reflections: 25 Years of Photography, Insight Editions, 2009, ISBN 978-1-933784-79-3

## Reviews

* "Bodies of Water", Baltimore City Paper, Mike Giuliano, May 17, 2000