Curious Devices: An Exhibition by Jeanette May
Running December 17th 2025 through March 21st 2026
Artist Statement:
I use a critical, often playful, approach to investigate contemporary culture. Although I now work exclusively in photography, my background in painting informs my subject matter and my method of art production. My projects begin with a concern. Currently, I’m very concerned about technology, designed obsolescence, e-waste, and the “right to repair.”
My still lifes reveal our complicated relationship with obsolete technology by juxtaposing the seductive designs and the inner workings of Curious Devices. These photographs display a reverence for finely crafted merchandise, industrial design, and scientific wonders. The technological tableaus span antique stereoscopes and art deco clocks to Bluetooth headphones. Each object’s style, color, and construction epitomize a period of both aesthetic and technological advancement. Just as 17th century still life paintings reflect the abundance afforded a prosperous culture, My Curious Devices acknowledge the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures.
The original vanitas still life celebrated the new wealth of the Dutch in the 17th century. Their paintings exemplify the advantages of fortune and international trade: silk fabrics, porcelain dishes, Venetian glass, silver goblets, and cultivated flowers. These paintings proudly displayed possessions made available by local craftspeople and exotic imports. Were trade practices fair at that time? Under what labor conditions have our own domestic wares been acquired? My copious arrangements compel one to contemplate manufacturing, abundance, waste, and the environmental impact.
Curious Devices furthers the exploration of beautifully designed vintage technology begun in my earlier Tech Vanitas series. Curiosity led me to open some of the devices, exposing the archaic gears of movie projectors and the enigmatic architecture of circuit boards. Other objects are clearly broken and in desperate need of repair. What becomes of the beloved tech that stops working or can’t be updated? Including screwdrivers and other tools underscores our desire to revive the damaged or deceased, as well as a culture of designed obsolescence. My most recent still lifes employ the bird’s eye view of “flat lay” product photography, allowing the viewer to stare down at an arrangement of expiring tech and promising repair tools. The 21st century still life exists in the form of advertising imagery; the newest gadget is carefully styled and photographed to entice potential buyers. My disassembled tech contradicts the expected reward and elevates the promise of repair. Curious Devices examines the present and the past of technology without easy answers but rather, like the Dutch vanitas painting, with a sense of wonder and trepidation.
About the Artist:
Jeanette May is a photo-based artist using a critical, often playful approach to examine visual representation in the form of still lifes, portraiture, and figurative narratives. Her early training as a painter is evident in her careful compositions and rich color palette. Her current photographic projects address the material culture of technology, its planned obsolescence, and possible redemption.
May received her MFA in Photography from CalArts and her BFA in Painting from the University of Illinois. She has been awarded grants, fellowships, and residencies from the NEA Regional Artists’ Projects Fund, Brooklyn Arts Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Ms. Foundation. May’s work is exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Milan, Athens, Barcelona, and Shanghai. She was recently included in the exhibition “Art about Art: Contemporary Photographers Look at Old Master Paintings” at the Princeton University Art Museum. May’s photographs are included in the collections of the MTA Arts & Design, Oakland Museum of California, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles. Aesthetica Magazine, Musée Magazine, Audubon Magazine, Barbara, PDN Photo District News, and LENSCRATCH have published her photographs. May lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
About the Gallery:
Gallery Photoland is a non-traditional exhibition space that showcases established photographic artists who represent diverse experiences and world views. The Gallery functions to spark ideas and support connections across the Evergreen community; it is a place for inspiring students about possibilities in fine arts beyond the shores of Eld Inlet.
The Gallery hosts exhibitions aligned with the mission of The Evergreen State College.