Ri Anderson photographs her two young daughters at home in her studio in Mexico as well as at play in their surroundings. In her words her work “is influenced by magical realism, Rousseau’s jungle paintings and the photography of Graciela Iturbide.” She also photographs her children as fictional characters from literature, the bible, art history or from her daughters’ imaginations.

A series of her images, Mexican Parlour Games/Secret Sibling World, is featured at the Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging, 9 Brighton St., Belmont, MA, June 1 through July 18, 2014. A reception and informal talk with the artist is July 17, 2014 from 6-8 p.m.

“I use an assortment of costumes for my daughters that are left over from school plays, artisan market acquisitions, and circus accessories that come from my part-time career as an aerial circus performer,” says Anderson. She adds, “These items include Virgin of Guadalupe dresses, revolutionary braids, crown of thorns, wings, flowers, rosaries, boas, false eyelashes and makeup – a dream for young girls. The final portraits are amalgams of our cultural and personal influences.”

Ri Anderson holds an MFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art, and resides in Mexico.

She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, most recently as a finalist for Critical Mass, Photolucida, Portland, Oregon for 2011, 2007, and 2006.

Her work has been exhibited at Galeria 6 in Mineral de Pozos, Gto., Mexico, and La Petite Mort Gallery, Ottawa, ON, Canada. She was the featured Northeast Exposure Online Artist at the Photographic Resource Center, Boston, MA in 2005.