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	Zwarte Piet, 1993-8 Zwarte Piet, 1993-8 Selection of 2 works		Anna Fox Anna Fox began exhibiting and publishing her photographic work in 1986. She has had solo exhibitions in France, Germany, Spain, Finland and Britain. Group Exhibitions include Shoe, Dundee Contemporary Arts (2002), On the Bright Side of Life (Berlin, 1997) and Warworks, Photography and the Art of War (Rotterdam, London and Ottawa, 1994-1996); Recent publications include Made in Kansas 2002; Made in Gothenburg, 2002 (published by the Milton Keynes Gallery, 2002). Recognised by a series of commissions and awards, Fox is represented in numerous public collections including the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford; the Musee de la Photographie, Charleroi; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. She lectures at the Royal College of Art and the London School of Printing.

	These portraits are both taken from a series of twenty photographs taken by Fox over a five year period. Each depicts a white figure dressed as Zwarte Piet, the black servant of St Nicholas according to Dutch folklore. As a part of traditional Dutch Christmas celebrations, revellers black their face and wear clown-like costumes, giving presents to the good and lumps of coal to the badly-behaved. Part masquerade, part documentation, Fox's photographs recall the formal presentation of seventeenth century Dutch portraiture to explore the many ambiguities surrounding this tradition.

Other Works in Focus: Pharmacy | Cold Dark Matter