Danger and delicacy commingle in Catherine Opie's photographs, which question representation, reference historical photographic practices, and erect an alternate portrait of America. Working predominantly with large format cameras, Opie has trained her lens on master-planned communities, Los Angeles freeways and mini-malls, members of the gay and lesbian leather community and an on-the-road exploration of lesbian domesticity. Her on-going project, "American Cities," on identity vis à vis place has included forays to St. Louis, Minneapolis, New York's Wall Street; presently she’s working in Chicago. Consistent throughout is her overriding concern for community, its construction and depiction.

"I concentrate on disturbing the devices that society imposes on variant communities to keep them ‘ghettoized’ by class, race, sexuality and gender. It’s important that my work be seductive as a visual language, as I want to keep the viewer engaged. This allows for multiple readings which challenge viewers to consider both people and space in their various complexities."