Sagebrush, Raft River Valley, Sun Valley, Idaho

Provenance:
Private Collection, Ontario
Notes:
Iain Baxter& was a pioneer of conceptual art in Canada, who has worked in multiple mediums: photography, installation, sculpture and painting. He formed N.E. Thing Co., a corporate-style art organization, and his activities under this name were regarded as a seminal influence for Vancouver photo-conceptualism. This photograph, originally taken in 1958 when Baxter& was studying at the University of Idaho, was made into a light box in 2005. In a recent interview with Baxter&, Robert Enright quoted critic Lucy Lippard that photography was “the only medium that was up to the task of your expansive aesthetic”; he responded, “Yes, because it can move as fast as I’m thinking.” Enright also commented that the artist had “categories of landscape; you see it as Nature, as System, as Artifact, as Habitat, as Wealth and Aesthetic,” and Baxter& replied that he thought of his landscapes as a collage of all those factors. Sagebrush possesses a unique silvery foliage and pungent fragrance, and grows in desert environments throughout North America. Its special ecosystems provide habitat for a variety of species; however, sagebrush regions have been shrinking due to human activities. This stunning light box transparency is a record of this unique and precious environment.