Patty Carroll's photography project, Anonymous Women: Demise, explores the intricate and often ambivalent relationships women have with domestic life, focusing particularly on the point at which domestic ideals become overwhelming. Initiated in the mid-1990s during Carroll's residence in London, the broader Anonymous Women series reflects her personal experiences of identity erosion, first symbolized by her reduced status to "Mrs. Jones", and later influenced by American post-war suburban ideals she experienced upon returning to the United States.
Set against a historical and cultural backdrop characterized by shifting gender roles and increased awareness of domestic pressures, Demise specifically critiques the persistent myths surrounding domestic perfection. By intentionally obscuring or camouflaging female figures behind meticulously staged and highly detailed household settings, Carroll represents the anonymous woman overwhelmed and subsumed by her surroundings. This approach critiques societal expectations and satirizes the obsessive pursuit of an unattainable domestic ideal.
Visually, the photographs in Demise are characterized by vibrant, saturated colors and elaborate, staged compositions created as life-sized studio installations. Carroll meticulously arranges sets where domestic objects, fabrics, and furnishings consume the faceless mannequin figures. The images, shot in square format, produce a tone of absurdity and surreal humor that underscores the underlying themes of isolation and domestic entrapment.
Embracing digital medium format photography, Carroll abandoned her longtime use of analog film in favor of a camera setup involving a static tripod and directional studio lighting, allowing for the deliberate construction of her meticulously choreographed domestic scenes. Post-production interventions are minimal, emphasizing her preference for meticulously planned physical setups.
Exhibited internationally—including the Chicago Cultural Center, Galerie XII (Los Angeles), PDNB Gallery (Dallas), BBA Gallery (Berlin), and the White Box Museum (Beijing)—Anonymous Women: Demise has been consolidated in two monographs (Anonymous Women, Daylight, 2017; Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise, Aint-Bad, 2020). Recognition such as the BBA Photography Prize (Winner, 2023) and Photolucida’s Top 50 (2014, 2017) has helped cement the series’ standing in contemporary photographic practice.