100 VANISHING PORTRAITS

Vanishing Portraits began in 2013 and remains ongoing, and while at first focused on the artist's close friends, the project has grown into a series of over 100 images, including her personal extended circle. Taken in Penney’s studio with a basic iPhone, the photographs are manipulated digitally and finished with a 'deterioration algorithm' in which each sitter seems to be coalescing into a larger universe. The untethered, ghostly space speaks to the disappearing importance and emphasis of the arts in today's dislocated cultural world, yet it simultaneously underscores the power of individuality. We are reminded that, through our individual selves, we hold a collective power to influence our surroundings and the outcomes of our futures. 102 of the VANISHING PORTRAITS were exhibited at the Jason McCoy Gallery in New York in 2018.