Brian Ulrich

By Amelia O’Rourke
 Who is he?
- Born in 1971 in Northport, NY
- Currently lives in Providence, RI
- He is an Associate Professor of Photography at Rhode Island School of
Design
- He was named one of the 30 Emerging Photographers in 2007
- He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography in 2009
- His work has been displayed in the Museum of Contemporary Art in San
Diego, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the
Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago..
Ulrich is known for his exploration of
consumerism culture in the United
States. In 2001, his project Copia
began by exploring big box stores,
but as since expanding to include
thrift stores, empty malls, and
abandoned stores.
His methods:
- Ulrich’s work include both 4x5” and medium format cameras
- He also includes objects from his shooting sites to serve as
sculptures to go with his photographs at his galleries
 Copia
- Project that took 10 years

- 3 different parts: Retail, Thrift, Dark stores

- "The Copia project began as a simple curiosity: Were people out shopping in the months after
Sept. 11th to follow a patriotic directive? It quickly dawned on me that the subject I began to
explore was something a lot bigger; one historical, anthropological, ideological and indicative of
American identity and psychology.” --- Ulrich, 2011

- [The Copia series] explores not only the everyday activities of shopping, but the economic, cultural,
social, and political implications of commercialism and the roles we play in self-destruction, over-
consumption, and as targets of marketing and advertising. - Brian Ulrich
Retail
Thrift
 Dark Stores

“Even bigger is the idea that we as a

nation are not made up of
businesses, banks, malls, markets,
homes or things. Our greatest asset
is ourselves: our lives and our
people. The real investment should
be there."
Ulrich, Marshall Fields 2, 2009 O’Rourke, Townhouse 153, 2018
Citations:

http://www.mocp.org/collection/mpp/past/ulrich_brian_.php

http://notifbutwhen.com/

http://time.com/3780207/brian-ulrich-copia-retail-thrift-and-dark-stores/

http://www.risd.edu/people/brian-ulrich/