For a decade between 2001 and 2010, Philadelphia photographer Zoe Strauss (b. 1970) showed her photographic works once a year in a public space beneath an I-95 highway overpass in South Philadelphia. In these annual one-day exhibitions, Strauss mounted her color photographs to the concrete bridge supports and viewers could buy photocopies for five dollars. Through portraits and documents of houses and signage, Strauss looked unflinchingly at the economic struggles and hardscrabble lives of residents in her own community and other parts of the United States. She describes her work as "an epic narrative about the beauty and struggle of everyday life." Strauss, a self-taught photographer and political activist, sees her work as a type of social intervention, and she has often used billboards and public meetings as venues. This exhibition is a mid-career retrospective and the first critical assessment of her decade-long project.

Zoe Strauss
A young black boy backflipping onto a blown out mattress in the middle of the street. Zoe Strauss
Zoe Strauss
Zoe Strauss
The words "We Will Win" written on the side of a light blue building. Zoe Strauss
Zoe Strauss
A two women, one neurotypical and one with a mental disorder sit down in front of the camera. Zoe Strauss
Zoe Strauss

Special Thanks

Zoe Strauss: 10 Years was organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art with support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative. The ICP presentation is supported by the ICP Exhibitions Committee and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Support for public programs in association with Zoe Strauss: 10 Years is generously provided by Documentary Arts, Inc. and Art Happens.