Photographer Catherine Opie burst onto the national art scene in the early ’90s with portraits of the California queer community, particularly those on the leather and S&M fringe. Despite their classical compositions, the images were radical for their bright, saturated backgrounds and the practices they represent; though many of these — such as body piercing and modification — have since found a foothold in mainstream culture.

Opie’s mid-career survey at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, “Catherine Opie: American Photographer,” begins with these images, and leads the viewer on a tour through several series she’s completed since. The show contains almost 200 works that are loosely divided into two sections: portraits and landscapes. The artist’s best-known series are large-scale color depictions of friends, family life, and, more recently, impromptu social communities such as Malibu surfers and Minnesota ice fishers. (Not included in the show are more recent series in this vein documenting Alaskan landscapes and high-school football players.) But she has also created several series of panoramic images that loosely fit into the landscape tradition, including the pristine “American Cities” and “Mini-Malls” in color and “Freeways” in platinum print.

ARTINFO caught up with Opie, and her son, Oliver, while the Guggenheim show was still being installed.

Click on the photo gallery above to hear Catherine Opie discuss specific images in the show, and on the link below for a brief sit-down conversation with the artist.