East to West: The Extraction and Reproduction of Phaelenopsis and Chlorophytum, from the "Domesticating the Numinous" series

About the Photographer

Forrester, Whit

American, b. 1983

Whit Forrester is a multi-disciplinary artist working with ideas of the self and its various relationships to the material and spiritual worlds. In their series Domesticating the Numinous (2016) Forrester arranges and photographs houseplants in their studio and paints gold leaf onto sections of the printed images, gilding their commonplace subjects and elevating them to reference iconic religious paintings. The series references the theory of the “numinous,” developed in the early 20th century by the German theologian Rudolf Otto which unpacks the emotional and irrational effects of being in the presence of something divine. Expanding upon Otto’s idea, Forrester suggests that the numinous can be found in the presence of the ordinary, the queer, or the overlooked.

Whit Forrester completed their BA in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College (2007) and his MFA in Photography from Columbia College (2017). Their work has been included in exhibitions at Trestle Projects, New York City, NY (2017); Filter Gallery, Chicago, IL (2017/2016); Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL (2015); and Evolving Gallery, Louisville, KY (2016/2015).