From Interior Relations, by Hot Shot Ian van Coller

Next in a continuing series on Hot Shots' blogs: Ian van Coller. Ian is a Fall '07 Hot Shot who lives in Bozeman, Montana. He is Assistant Professor of Photography, Montana State University, Bozeman. And, of course, he has a blog.

From November 5 - December 6 he will show his work, Interior Relations: Portraits of Female Domestic Workers in South Africa at the Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco.

"Interior Relations explores the deep fault lines between the country’s public democratic ideals and the ongoing racial and economic inequality that circumscribes the lived experiences of many black South African women. Many of the contradictions evident in South Africa’s transition to democracy are encapsulated within white households that employ black and coloured domestic workers, often housing them in segregated living quarters on their property. These households, simultaneously private spaces for employers and public spaces for the employees, are ultimately political spaces where race, class and gender inequalities are negotiated. Interior Relations is a portrait series focused specifically on female domestic workers—nannies and maids—who continue to embody this daily repertoire of inequalities."

In 2009, Interior Relations will be shown at the Holter Museum of Art, Helena, Montana.

Visit Ian's blog for more on his work, The Cape Town Month of Photography show, work that inspires him, and his own experiments and side projects.