Edwin Low • Jonathan Anderson - City of mines

Victor, Colorado ­– the City of Mines – came into life in the early 1890s when a prospector who had been unsuccessfully searching for gold for nineteen years finally hit pay dirt. Victor, and the nearby Cripple Creek, became the two key towns in a strip of land just ten miles by six that offered up an extraordinary geological bonanza. People flocked into Victor in search of their fortunes and its population quickly rose to over 18,000. Flourishing businesses served the miners and the hundreds of surrounding mines, and an area which had once been isolated ranching country became totally transformed. The gold and the prospectors are now long gone, but Victor, with its current population of now only 450, still echoes this history in its streets and buildings.
Anderson & Low discovered it by chance fifteen years ago and were immediately mesmerized by the town’s individuality. With its sense of being a place outside of time – neither of the present nor of the past – it has drawn them back repeatedly.
In their images they weave back-and-forth from expansive landscapes, through to expressive architectural images and intimate interiors. Whilst their subjects are primarily architectural, the human imprint of these historic structures is evident and powerfully conveyed. The result is a disarmingly intimate and moving study of a small American town.
For over 25 years, Anderson & Low have collaborated in the creation of photographic and video art projects. Perhaps best known for their portraiture, they have also undertaken many critically acclaimed projects incorporating architecture and landscape. Their work is held in numerous public, museum and national collections worldwide including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, The National Portrait Galleries of both the UK and Australia, and has featured at the Venice Biennale. The City of Mines will be exhibited in Colorado Springs in autumn 2015.