Ray K. Metzker
dal 3/9/2008 al 10/10/2008
Segnalato da
Fifty One Fine Art Photography
3/9/2008
Ray K. Metzker
Fifty One Fine Art Photography, Antwerp
Between light and lines. The black and white images on display question the nature of the photograph and photographic reality. Through cropping, multiple imagery, and other formal inventions, the artist explores options for transforming the vocabulary of the photograph.
What appears in the pictures was the subject¹s decision, not mine. I took
what they presented delicate moments unadorned and unglamorous, yet
tender and exquisite.
Ray K. Metzker
Fifty One Fine Art Photography is proud to present its very first solo show
of the American photographer Ray K. Metzker (°1931) and his fascinating
black and white images which question the nature of the photograph and
photographic reality.
Ray Metzker is acknowledged as one of photography's true innovators since
the early 1960¹s. He is dedicated to exploring the formal potentials of
black and white photography over the course of more than a dozen distinct
bodies of work. Through cropping, multiple imagery, and other formal
inventions, his work explores options for transforming the vocabulary of the
photograph. From urban streetscapes and multiple imagery in the form of
constructed composites, to dense and tangled landscapes, to mysterious and
pure abstractions, Metzker has proven himself time and time again a master
interpreter of the medium.
Yet his work does not rest solely on its inventiveness. While experimenting
with multiple exposures, unusual juxtapositions, and the unexpected use of
light and darkness, Metzker has imbued his images with an emotional
resonance. By bisecting a streetscape with an intense ribbon of sunlight or
a dense wall of shadow, he is able to evoke a feeling of hope or an aura of
menace. It is this remarkable balance between technical virtuosity and
humane considerations that has continued to make his work compelling over
five decades.
Metzker has resided in Philadelphia since 1962, when he joined the faculty
of the Philadelphia College of Art. He has been the recipient of two
Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. His photographs
have been shown in more than 47 one-person exhibitions, including such
venues as the Art Institute of Chicago; Cleveland Museum of Art; High Museum
of Art, Atlanta; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Museum of Modern Art, New
York. More than 45 collections include his work, among them are the
Australian National Gallery, Canberra, New South Wales; Bibliothéque
Nationale, Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern
Art, New York
Opening: 4 Sept., 18h-21h
Fifty One Fine Art Photography
Zirkstraat 20 - Antwerpen
Free admission