Chess King

Maker Trice, Christopher American, b.1973

Date2001

MediumChromogenic development print

Dimensionsimage: 15 in x 14 15/16 in; mat: 24 in x 20 in; paper: 20 in x 16 in

Credit LineGift of the artist

Object number2004:163

About the ArtistIt fascinates me that something so removed from traditional concepts of beauty can be made beautiful…with the right perspective. In some way, that allows the mall to have purpose again…as an aesthetic experience, rather than a consumer outlet. – Christopher Trice, January 22, 2005

In The Dixie Square Mall Series, Christopher Trice examines the space and socioeconomic importance of a long-abandoned shopping center in one of Chicago's south suburbs. The passage of time is felt in the decay and debris in these pictures, but vibrant colors like the yellow walls of Second Floor Office contrast with the evidence of 25 years of neglect. Dangling wires, fallen ceiling tiles, and peeling wallpaper evidence the breakdown of otherwise familiar store interiors now ravaged by vandals and weather alike. Yet the attention to color and closely controlled composition of Trice's photographs transcend straightforward documentary, generating an elegance otherwise absent from this crumbling structure.

Christopher Trice was born in Anaheim, California on November 30, 1973. He earned a BFA in studio art from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1999) and an MFA in photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001). Exhibitions of his work include Not Too Far From Home at the Lyda Rose Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago and Vicinity - With a Bias at Klein Art Works, Chicago; and ILL. at Great Space Gallery, Chicago. The Museum of Contemporary Photography accepted a portfolio of The Dixie Mall Series into the Midwest Photographers Project in 2002. His work is also in the collection of UAB Visual Arts Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama. He has taught at Columbia College Chicago; Roosevelt University, Chicago; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama; and Bessemer State Technical College, Alabama.