Artist-collector Lucinda Bunnen is a powerhouse in Atlanta photography. She has spent the last fifty years creating exquisite artworks infused with the magic, wonder, fear, and mystery of being alive. Inward, Outward, Forward showcases the artist’s wide-ranging use of photography and simultaneously highlights her contributions to Atlanta’s art community through philanthropic work with a selection of works by other artists in her personal art collection. 

Bunnen pushes against conceptions of photography as a narrow or definable medium. She is driven, instead, to uncover new possibilities for artistic expression. She does this by toggling: inward, outward. She turns inward, photographing her personal life and sometimes manipulating images in her backyard or home darkroom. Then she pivots outward, investigating the lives of strangers and places near and far. She collects artworks by other artists for her home and collaborates with institutions to build their collections. She creates space for her art practice, then goes into the community to advocate for opportunities for others. All the while, she pushes forward, opening new pathways for art to surprise, engage, and inspire—boldly carving out room for what is next.

Atlanta Contemporary is a fitting place to celebrate Bunnen’s life and work. She is among a group of local artists who founded the institution in 1973—under its original name, Nexus.