Stephanie Kloss

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

California Dreaming takes us on a journey through time, back to the California of the fifties and sixties, when the American Dream was at its pinnacle in the Golden State. Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Palm Springs were at the centre of the social scene – expansive houses with functional designs, luscious green spaces, and turquoise pools became symbols of modernity. Architects like Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Albert Frey designed the dream homes of the Californian elite, buildings that wrote themselves into the history of architecture. Stephanie Kloss’s latest series of works can be seen as an homage to the great architects of late modernity, taking us on an adventure in search of Mid-Century Modern architecture in Southern California.

We instantly feel familiar with Kloss’s work. In fact, we actually do know these buildings: John Lautner’s Goldstein House in Los Angeles has been a location in films including The Big Lebowski and Charlie’s Angels. The large, open space at Frank Sinatra’s residence provided the backdrop for several episodes of the hit series Mad Men.

Kloss’s photographs could just as easily have come from a Hollywood film from the 1950s – we find our stunningly beautiful protagonist in every image, a living sculpture who breathes life into the simple architectural forms. She subtly draws us into the image, giving us a glimpse into a world that would normally stay hidden from our eyes.

It is this captivating contrast between narration and the artist’s clear, formal imagery that creates the extraordinary atmosphere of the California Dreaming series.

Stephanie Kloss’s fascination with art and architecture is visible throughout her work. After earning a degree in Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin in 1994, she soon began postgraduate studies in Media Art at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. There she studied with Thomas Struth, Candida Höfer, and Marie-Jo Lafontaine. Her work has since appeared in countless solo and group exhibitions, most recently in the renowned Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.

Sarah Fassio