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Seattle Culture

Rain, Water, Horses, And Basketball

Seattle artist Robin Layton’s new exhibit showcases her award-winning work

By Seattle Mag December 5, 2024

Four white horses gallop through the rain-soaked water, splashing playfully as they move forward.
Running Free
Photo courtesy of Robin Layton

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Seattle magazine.

Last year, Robin Layton had a one-woman show set to music with live performers. This year, it’s a fine-art exhibit.

Layton, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, artist, and photographer, will again showcase her work — although in very different fashion — during a month-long exhibit at Seattle’s Slip Gallery starting in December. “FLUIDITY” celebrates three of Layton’s widely recognized photo book essays: hoop: the American dream, the lake, and rain, as well as her newest body of work, The White Horses of Camargue, which debuted at July’s Seattle Art Fair.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore Layton’s unique and vintage mixed-media works. Her limited-edition books will also be for sale.

Layton first gained notoriety back in 1995, when she shot the iconic photo of a grinning Ken Griffey Jr. sliding across home plate (“The Smile at the Bottom of the Pile”) to clinch the Mariners’ first playoff berth in their history.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a solo exhibit in Seattle,” says Layton, who was named one of Seattle magazine’s Most Influential in 2020. “The reason it’s called FLUIDITY is because I have all facets of my work on display. I’m always looking for creative ways to express my art.”

The exhibit runs between noon and 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4 at Slip Gallery, 2301 First Ave. in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. An opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 13.

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