interiors

Spaces that define our lives

We are proud to present INTERIORS – Spaces that Define Our Lives, a compelling online exhibition that invites viewers into the worlds we build, inhabit, and imagine. This curated collection of photographs explores the rich emotional and visual language of interior spaces—from the quiet intimacy of personal sanctuaries to the layered complexity of communal environments.

Each image in this exhibition reflects a distinct point of view, offering insight into the ways spaces shape and mirror human experience. Some photographers embrace the order of minimalism, others lean into the messy vibrancy of lived-in places. Some works evoke memory and presence through stillness, while others hum with energy and motion. Taken together, they speak to the universality—and individuality—of the spaces that surround us.

In INTERIORS, the boundaries between public and private, literal and imagined, are blurred and redefined. These photographs not only document physical environments but also act as portraits of the unseen—of solitude, ritual, connection, and transformation. We invite you to step inside.

A Note From The Juror:

A subject like Interiors can be a broad and generalized theme so in jurying this show I looked for works that took both a literal interpretation and a more abstract perspective on the theme. When given a theme sometimes it can be obvious to take it as an instruction to define it realistically or at it’s most basic definition. The images I chose took the theme a bit further either by adding to what was happening inside, or even what was happening outside from the inside. In the literal interpretations, I realized I was especially attracted to the light within and how the artist used the light, geometry and/or context in their composition to give an extra, embellished meaning or narrative to the photograph.

Jennifer Schlesinger

click on a photo for more information

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Honorable Mention

Director's Choice

Carrie Becker

Stair Spector

St. Louis, MO, USA

Moody Mini Manifestions

This series appears to depict haunted interiors and hazy outdoor scenes. These images seem to have a liminal quality. Are the real or imaged spaces?

In actuality, the scenes are only 1/12th scale dioramas. Craft materials like foam core, flocking, and balsa wood are manipulated and distressed to fool the eye. Using studio lighting, camera angles, and a macro lens, they are photographed to appear life-sized.

For me, it is easier to explore real world issues in miniature. When small, objects and ideas shrink to become precious and playful instead of emotional and overwhelming. In becoming a voyeur of a miniature world, we are at a safe distance to better examine our own.

Andrea Zinn

November Still Life

Brooklyn, NY, USA

In March of 2020, as New York City went into lockdown, like many others I became an “artist-in-residence” in my own home. A large drafting table next to a window in an upstairs room became the center of my photography as I began to work on a new series of still life photographs. My initial influence was the 17th century Dutch still life paintings. I was drawn to the quality of the light, which led to my decision to only shoot in natural light. I was also intrigued by the contrast between the beauty and lushness of the subjects with the underlying hints that what is pictured is just a fleeting moment in time.

The Still Life project has become a meditation on the nature of cycles. The daily and seasonal cycle of the sun and the seasonal changes in the light as the trees in front of my windows bud and leaf and change color have become an integral part of each set of photographs. The objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things and their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Maryam (Nilu) Ghasempour Siahgaldeh

Vanishing Borders

Manhattan, KS, USA

Black and white analog photos: As an immigrant from Iran, my photos are about my life as an immigrant and how I feel stuck between two worlds. I took photos of my quiet room and combined them with images of nature to show the connection I feel with the world outside, even when I’m alone inside. The overlapping of inside and outside is like how I live now: caught between my past and my present.Nature is very important to me. It reminds me of my home North of Iran and helps me feel less alone here. These photos are about memory and distance and finding small moments of comfort. They are about how my past and present come together in this new place. They are quiet, but they hold so much feeling of missing, of hope, and of being here and somewhere else at the same time.The other 6 photos: The Birth of Solitude is about how it feels to leave home and start over somewhere new. In the beginning, my photos are full of color and memories. They show the warmth of my old life, my family and friends, even though they’re far away now. These images are about living in two worlds at the same time: holding onto the past while facing the unknown future.As the series goes on, the colors fade into black and white. Blurry photos of myself show how memories can start to slip away and how lonely it can be to start over in a new place. In the last images, I feel that loneliness the most. The shadows of my past are still there, but it’s just me trying to find my way.This project is about how hard and hopeful it is to build a new life, holding on to old memories while learning to be strong and start again.

Maryam (Nilu) Ghasempour Siahgaldeh

Bound Yet Free

Manhattan, KS, USA

Black and white analog photos: As an immigrant from Iran, my photos are about my life as an immigrant and how I feel stuck between two worlds. I took photos of my quiet room and combined them with images of nature to show the connection I feel with the world outside, even when I’m alone inside. The overlapping of inside and outside is like how I live now: caught between my past and my present.Nature is very important to me. It reminds me of my home North of Iran and helps me feel less alone here. These photos are about memory and distance and finding small moments of comfort. They are about how my past and present come together in this new place. They are quiet, but they hold so much feeling of missing, of hope, and of being here and somewhere else at the same time.The other 6 photos: The Birth of Solitude is about how it feels to leave home and start over somewhere new. In the beginning, my photos are full of color and memories. They show the warmth of my old life, my family and friends, even though they’re far away now. These images are about living in two worlds at the same time: holding onto the past while facing the unknown future.As the series goes on, the colors fade into black and white. Blurry photos of myself show how memories can start to slip away and how lonely it can be to start over in a new place. In the last images, I feel that loneliness the most. The shadows of my past are still there, but it’s just me trying to find my way.This project is about how hard and hopeful it is to build a new life, holding on to old memories while learning to be strong and start again.

James Gunderson

Artist's Easel

Pacific Palisades, CA, USA

James considers himself a native-born Californian, even if he was born in Fort Worth Tx. He grew up in Austin and immigrated to California back in the early ‘90s, where (like a lot of people) he thought he could be an actor. Although that never worked out (he has a Screen Actors Card though), he did manage to work in the industry as a software developer at places such as Harris Broadcasting, Technicolor and Deluxe. Along the way he’s taken a few photos, some of which he wants to show to you. Enjoy and have a wonderful day!His current creative passions fall in photography, specifically around abandoned ghost towns, Route 66, and strangely enough... hot tub bubblesJames lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife, photographer Miriam Schulman.