Ruth Orkin, an American photographer active from the 1940s to the 1980s, is perhaps best known for her iconic image, ”American Girl in Italy.” This photograph, capturing a young woman navigating the streets of Florence, has become a feminist touchstone, symbolizing both the challenges and freedoms of female independence. A recent exhibition at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, titled ”Ruth Orkin: The Illusion of Time,” delves far deeper than this single, famous image, revealing the breadth and depth of Orkin’s artistic vision and her significant contributions to the world of photography. The exhibition thoughtfully presents various versions of ”American Girl in Italy,” including vintage prints, a large-scale wall display, contact sheets, and a facsimile of the original Cosmopolitan article featuring the photograph. However, the exhibition’s true strength lies in its comprehensive exploration of Orkin’s multifaceted career, showcasing her mastery of various genres, from portraiture and photojournalism to street photography and experimental narrative sequences.
Orkin’s journey as a photographer began in her youth in Hollywood, where she grew up amidst the glamour and allure of the film industry. Her mother was a silent film actress, and her father a toy manufacturer. Receiving her first camera at the age of ten, Orkin’s passion for photography ignited early. At seventeen, she embarked on a cross-country bicycle trip, documenting her journey from Los Angeles to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Aspiring to become a cinematographer, Orkin faced the gender barriers prevalent in Hollywood at the time. Undeterred, she relocated to New York in 1943, establishing a successful career as a freelance photographer. She captured the vibrant energy of the city, working for nightclubs, newspapers, and prominent magazines such as Life and Look. Her travels throughout Europe further enriched her portfolio, providing a diverse range of subjects and experiences that shaped her distinct photographic style.
Curated by Anne Morin, the chief curator of the diChroma photography museum in Madrid, the exhibition at Kulturhuset reflects an international perspective, offering a nuanced and engaging exploration of Orkin’s work. The exhibition’s design carefully guides visitors through the various genres and artistic approaches Orkin embraced. It emphasizes the materiality of photography, juxtaposing vintage prints with newer versions, showcasing her cameras and contact sheets to reveal her working process, and incorporating newspaper clippings, albums, and correspondence to provide historical context. This approach allows viewers to appreciate not only the final images but also the creative process and the historical circumstances surrounding their creation.
While Orkin’s dream of becoming a cinematographer remained unfulfilled in the traditional sense, the influence of cinema is undeniable in her work. Her connection to the film world persisted through her portraits of numerous film industry personalities. Her marriage to filmmaker Morris Engel further cemented this connection, culminating in their collaborative work on the indie classic ”Little Fugitive” (1953), a film that significantly impacted the French New Wave movement. The cinematic quality manifests in Orkin’s photography through her ability to capture fleeting moments with a dramatic intensity reminiscent of a Baroque painting. The exhibition further highlights Orkin’s innovative approach to sequencing images, demonstrating her understanding of the relationship between individual photographs and their narrative potential within a series.
This exploration of seriality is a key element of the exhibition and reveals a unique facet of Orkin’s artistic vision. Examples include a series documenting a child’s reaction to seeing themselves on film for the first time, meticulously crafted travel scrapbooks featuring grids of identically sized photographs accompanied by captions that chronicle her journeys, and a long-term project capturing the dynamism of city life from her Manhattan window. These diverse series not only capture the flow of time but also emphasize the temporality of each individual image. Through these sequences, Orkin transcends the limitations of the single frame, creating dynamic narratives that unfold through carefully arranged moments in time.
The “Ruth Orkin: The Illusion of Time” exhibition offers a valuable opportunity to engage with a significant figure in 20th-century photography. It moves beyond the iconic ”American Girl in Italy” to reveal a multifaceted artist whose work encompassed a wide range of styles and subjects. The exhibition’s emphasis on Orkin’s innovative approach to image sequencing and her unique exploration of the relationship between individual photographs and their narrative potential illuminates a crucial aspect of her artistic contribution. By showcasing the breadth of her work, including her lesser-known series and personal projects, the exhibition provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Ruth Orkin’s enduring legacy in the world of photography. It reveals an artist who masterfully captured the essence of her time, leaving behind a rich and compelling visual record of the 20th century.
