In her work, Heather Cleary engages with the complexities of uncertainty as they manifest in the acts of perceiving, understanding, and knowing. Each photograph emerges from a mental image, which is then fabricated in her studio, where the composition and lighting are precisely orchestrated for the lens.

Photography, as a medium, inherently detaches subjects from their context. The frame itself is a deliberate act of selection—what is included and what is excluded creates a boundary that introduces an enigmatic layer to the image. This isolation transforms the subject, adding a layer of mystery and complicating our capacity for true comprehension. Furthermore, photographs, as two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects, challenge our understanding of materiality. Through photography, surfaces of Cleary's constructions become ambiguous; their true textures are abstracted, rendered flat on paper. This duality—removal of context and texture—creates a profound distance between perception and understanding, making the act of interpretation an integral part of the viewing experience.

Cleary approaches each piece as an autonomous work, thus resisting the conventions of the traditional photographic project. Instead, she presents a collection of individual entities that interact and complicate one another when viewed together. The term "polysemic" resonates deeply with her; it is a literary term that refers to a word with multiple meanings. By positioning each work as a distinct entity and arranging them in loose affiliations, she invites a multiplicity of interpretations, in stark contrast to thematic frameworks that often dictate a singular narrative. Heather Cleary holds a BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston (2003) and a MFA in Photography from University of California, Los Angeles (2014). Recent solo exhibitions include

Heather Cleary @ Sean’s Room, Los Angeles (2024) and Return at W Projects, Vancouver, B.C. Canada (2023). Group exhibitions include those at Helen J Gallery, Los Angeles (2022); Dread Lounge, Los Angeles (2019); Fresh Window Gallery, Brooklyn (2018) and Index, Los Angeles (2018). Her work is held in the permanent collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. She lives and works in Los Angeles.

In her work, Heather Cleary engages with the complexities of uncertainty as they manifest in the acts of perceiving, understanding, and knowing. Each photograph emerges from a mental image, which is then fabricated in her studio, where the composition and lighting are precisely orchestrated for the lens.

Photography, as a medium, inherently detaches subjects from their context. The frame itself is a deliberate act of selection—what is included and what is excluded creates a boundary that introduces an enigmatic layer to the image. This isolation transforms the subject, adding a layer of mystery and complicating our capacity for true comprehension. Furthermore, photographs, as two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects, challenge our understanding of materiality. Through photography, surfaces of Cleary's constructions become ambiguous; their true textures are abstracted, rendered flat on paper. This duality—removal of context and texture—creates a profound distance between perception and understanding, making the act of interpretation an integral part of the viewing experience.

Cleary approaches each piece as an autonomous work, thus resisting the conventions of the traditional photographic project. Instead, she presents a collection of individual entities that interact and complicate one another when viewed together. The term "polysemic" resonates deeply with her; it is a literary term that refers to a word with multiple meanings. By positioning each work as a distinct entity and arranging them in loose affiliations, she invites a multiplicity of interpretations, in stark contrast to thematic frameworks that often dictate a singular narrative. Heather Cleary holds a BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston (2003) and a MFA in Photography from University of California, Los Angeles (2014). Recent solo exhibitions include

Heather Cleary @ Sean’s Room, Los Angeles (2024) and Return at W Projects, Vancouver, B.C. Canada (2023). Group exhibitions include those at Helen J Gallery, Los Angeles (2022); Dread Lounge, Los Angeles (2019); Fresh Window Gallery, Brooklyn (2018) and Index, Los Angeles (2018). Her work is held in the permanent collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA. She lives and works in Los Angeles.