
And foundering is sweet in such a sea.
Trans. J. Galassi
About the Artist
Adrienne Defendi is an artist whose work explores the cyclical, the ephemeral, and the fragility of life. Her lifelong interests in memory and myth, narrative and nostalgia inform her photographic expression and artistic process. Employing different mediums, from analog to alternative processes and various printmaking techniques, her practice charts elements of loss and ritual, and the boundless possibilities within reiteration and experimentation. Adrienne lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.
An award-winning artist, Adrienne has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Her work has been included in many juried exhibitions, including shows at the de Young Museum, Chung 24 Art Gallery, SOMArts Cultural Center, Berkeley Art Center, RayKo Photo Gallery, SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery in Fort Mason, Triton Museum of Art, the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, Cordon Potts Gallery in San Francisco, Marin Museum of Contemporary, SOHO Photo, NYC, Davis Orton Gallery, and the A. Smith Gallery. She has exhibited her photographs internationally at the Czong Contemporary Art Institute (CICA), South Korea, in the Photo Yokohama Festival, Japan, and in the PH1 Contemporary Photography Gallery in Hungary. A recipient of the Cadogan Contemporary Art Award, her work has been featured in the publications The Hand Magazine, On Death, LensWork, Seeing in SIXES, Don’t Smile, Shots, Light Leaks, and B&W Magazine, as well as online in “Lenscratch,” “Your Daily Photograph,” “Don’t Take Pictures,” and “All About Photo.” Adrienne is currently an artist-in-residence with the City of Palo Alto's Cubberley Artist Studio Program.
© 2025, Adrienne Defendi. All rights reserved.