(RED BANK, NJ) -- Galerie Lucida welcomes the fall season with Photographica, a group exhibition of conceptual photographic imagery showcasing nine internationally-recognized artists, each of whom is well-represented in major museum and private collections. The exhibition will run from September 14 to November 3, 2024 with an opening reception for the artists, on Saturday, September 14, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.
Photographica explores the themes of transformation inherent in the work of boundary-pushing photographers known for their distinctive, innovative, and often radical approach to the medium. Co-curated by Michael Mazzeo and Gerald Slota, the exhibition features the work of Zeke Berman, Michael Flomen, Robert Flynt, Muriel Hasbun, Chris McCaw, Anne Arden McDonald, Andreas Rentsch, Gerald Slota, and Terry Towery.
Zeke Berman’s time-lapse Sculptural Animations begin with frozen blocks of colored water that slowly melt away and evaporate over time leaving the trace of their existence in the form of an abstract color image on paper. A most basic thermodynamic process is apparent as the subject transforms from solid to liquid to vapor while creating a new generative work of art in the process. Though the entire process may take a day or more from start to finish, the durational activity is reduced to just a few minutes by combining thousands of still images into short video animations.
Armed with boxes of photographic paper, Michael Flomen takes to the woods of Vermont, the Laurentians of Quebec, or elsewhere, collaborating with nature to create camera-less abstract images. Various forms of water, firefly light, wind, and other natural phenomena are the inspiration for his picture making. His photographs transform the unseen world into vivid visual documents of intangible elements.
Using a 1920’s-era book of geometric diagrams and text (El Trazador Moderno) as his substrate, Robert Flynt integrates his graceful male nude figures into the arcs, grids, and graphs by printing them directly onto the book’s fragile pages. With the sensitive pairing of precise drawings and vulnerable bodies, Flynt creates a delicate state of safety and equilibrium between figure and diagram.
Muriel Hasbun draws upon generations of artifacts, documents, and memories from a rich and complicated family history to create thought-provoking and consequential narratives. Her X Post Facto project repurposes dental x-rays from her late father’s office as a means of examining migratory history, familial loss, and the collective trauma related to the Salvadoran Civil War. These sumptuous black and white images, enlarged and removed from their original purpose, prove a useful forensic device to challenge official histories.
Chris McCaw’s Sunburn images document time and place unlike any other photographs. Using photographic paper in lieu of film, he focuses his large format camera and lens on the landscape and directly into the path of the sun. During the hours-long exposure, the sun traverses the sky, forming an image on paper, while simultaneously recording its path through time. Remarkably, what remains is a photograph of the landscape with the path of the sun burned completely through the paper.
Anne Arden McDonald works with light and chemistry to create abstract camera-less images on paper that appear to oscillate between the scientific and the spiritual. Orbs resembling cells or planets blur the line between the microscopic and galactic. Despite the seemingly arbitrary nature of the process, the images suggest a natural or universal order is in play.
The labor-intensive practice of Andreas Rentsch involves photographing subjects and altering the image with the selective application of chemistry and light. In his photographs, amorphous, faceless figures suggest spiritual entities that seem to exist in a purgatorial void. They gather and perform ritualistic scenes, invoking memory and longing, as if seeking redemption.
Gerald Slota is widely known for his deeply personal, enigmatic imagery and aggressive, manual manipulation of photographs. With his recent project, Frenzy, he trades film for pixels and the darkroom for apps, while maintaining his stream of consciousness approach to the narrative image. His thoroughly engaging, and sometimes disturbing images simultaneously invoke familiarity and mystery. They demand attention and invite interpretation.
Terry Towery assembles his exquisitely printed, copper- and selenium--toned miniature photographs into arrangements that suggest a journey but defy a clear destination. Employing spatial relationships, iconic imagery, and collective memory, he creates dreamlike open-ended narratives, inviting viewers to imagine their own adventures.
Galerie Lucida is located at 18 Wallace Street in Red Bank, New Jersey. The gallery is just a short drive from NYC or a short walk from the Red Bank Train Station. Gallery hours are Thursday & Saturdays from 1:00pm to 5:00pm; Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6:00pm.
IMAGES: (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) Chris McCaw, Zeke Berman, Michael Flomen, Robert Flynt, Muriel Hasbun, Chris McCaw, Anne Arden McDonald, Andreas Rentsch, Gerald Slota, and Terry Towery.
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