Peter Sandback (b. 1966, Brooklyn, New York) is a photographer and furniture maker based in southern New Hampshire. He earned his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992. For more than 25 years, he has built a career as a professional furniture maker, recognized for his thoughtful craftsmanship and refined design. Alongside this practice, Sandback has steadily returned to his first vocation as an artist. His current photographic work explores natural history museums—spaces where science, wonder, and death intersect.
“This body of work consists of photographic double exposures reflecting my ongoing interest in natural history museums. For many years, I have photographed these spaces and their specimens, drawn to their unique blend of science, art, and display. More recently, I have become interested in the painted backdrops behind the exhibits—often overlooked, yet remarkable works of art in their own right.
In this series, I combine these elements by layering a photographed specimen over an image of an unrelated background painting. The resulting pairings disrupt the original context, creating an ambiguous space between representation and artifice.
The works are produced as pigment prints on translucent film, with silver leaf applied to the reverse. Light passes through and reflects off the surface, further complicating the sense of depth, illusion, and material presence.
The frames are an integral component of these works and are carefully crafted by the artist. Each image is set deep within a custom floater frame with an off-white interior, recalling the display cases and presentation strategies found in natural history museums. The frame functions not simply as a border, but as an extension of the photograph itself, reinforcing its relationship to the museum specimen and the act of display.”