Mike and Doug Starn

Why this artist matters now

Twin brothers Mike and Doug Starn create large-scale photographic works that reject the medium's presumed objectivity through hand-painting, taping, and layering of materials into densely textured, sculptural surfaces. Working collaboratively since the 1980s, they combine photography, installation, and mixed media to foreground the constructed nature of the image. Their interventions into photographic process and architectural space treat the photograph as a physical object rather than a transparent window.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 1mo ago