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Melanie Stidolph completed her BA at the University of Leeds in 1991 and went on to study her MFA at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada under the tutelage of Jeff Wall. She has exhibited her large scale photographs in solo and group shows in the UK and abroad including exhibitions at the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art, Sunderland, Cynthia Broan Gallery, New York and with independent spaces MOT, London and Permanent Gallery, Brighton. She lives and works in London and is represented by Keith Talent Gallery, London.
'I produce photographs that make familiar subjects iconic. I work very closely with the subject matter, taking hundreds of photographs and edit down to a singular image. The final exhibited photograph clearly recalls the moment the picture was taken, but is also open to wider possibilities of interpretation by the viewer. This duality is central to my practice.
The large (160 x 130cm) scale of the works establishes an immediate physical connection with the viewer. The singling out of the image through this dramatic presentation implies a greater significance for the original moment than might be immediately apparent, encouraging a closer reading of the image. To reinforce the connection to the original moment each photograph is printed full-frame, with the edge of the negative visible in the final image, indicating that the image hasn’t been cropped in post-production. Reproducing the photograph on this scale reveals the high level of detail that contributes to the overall composition; even individual blades of grass become significant in the interpretation of the image.'
‘Stidolph’s picture of a white horse and its foal has a strange intensity (due in part to its ethereal, washed out color-scheme) that refuses to be immediately characterized as "doing" this or that. The sincere beauty of the photo counterbalances the My Little Pony irony of the subject matter.’ ‘This show is ribbed for her pleasure’, Michael Paulson, NYArts Magazine
‘Stidolph distills an unexpected drama from low-key subjects into still images which range from landscape to portrait compositions. Working spontaneously in a documentary fashion, but with a medium format camera, Stidolph’s people, animals and places become quietly transformed into luminous, highly loaded moments.’ Alistair Robinson, Director, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland,
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