Doug and Mike Starn, American artists, identical twins, were born in 1961. They first received international attention at the 1987 Whitney Biennial, and for more than twenty years they were primarily known for working conceptually with photography. Their work has evolved through combining traditionally separate disciplines such as photography, sculpture, architecture–most notably their series Big Bambú. Major themes of their work include chaos, interconnection and interdependence.
At their mammoth laboratory studio in Beacon, New York, the former Tallix foundry, the Starns work in dialogue between their many concurrent series: most recently The No Mind Not Thinks No Things and other Buddhist explorations – the Absorption of Light concept, alleverythingthatisyou – their photomicrographs of snow crystals, and their re-exploration of the late 19th century colour carbon printing process. Through their carbon-prints, the Starns mingle gilding techniques to the painterly photo-process, and further advance their metaphorical lexicon on light with photographs of Buddhist statuary.
The Starns were represented by Leo Castelli from 1989 until his death in 1999. The Starns have received many honours including two National Endowment for the Arts Grants in 1987 and 1995; The International Center for Photography’s Infinity Award for Fine Art Photography in 1992; and, artists in residency at NASA in the mid-nineties. They have received critical acclaim in The New York Times, Dagens Nyheter, Corriere della Sera, Le Figaro, The Times (London), Art in America, and Artforum, amongst many other notable media. Major artworks by the Starns are represented in public and private collections including: The Museum of Modern Art (NYC); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, (NYC); The Jewish Museum, (NYC); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC); Moderna Museet (Stockholm); The National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne); Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC); Yokohama Museum of Art (Japan); La Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris); La Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.