A FLOOD OF PICTURES Exhibition runs June 19 � August 1, 2009 Opening reception Friday, June 19 from 7 � 10 pm
In my picture atlas...I can only get a handle on the flood of pictures by creating order since there are no individual pictures at all anymore. -Gerhard Richter
SALTWORKS is pleased to present our summer exhibition, A Flood of Pictures, a group show organized in collaboration with Branch Gallery. A Flood of Pictures assembles the work of three visual artists who explore narratives derived from found and generated imagery. Methodically accumulating then re-defining their materials, the artists discover new meanings from found books, stumbled upon snap-shots and staged photos. Patterns emerge and environments take shape and are energized. A Flood of Pictures investigates the artists� processes in achieving re-contextualized meaning and transformed intent out of a flood of imagery.
Brian Dettmer (Atlanta, GA) unearths the art and hidden narratives buried within the pages of what is often considered a dying medium � that of the hardcover book. Dettmer methodically carves into encyclopedias, medical journals and maps, creating sculpture that communicates through form, image and the written word. Text becomes visual poetry, the typographic elements taking on patterns as if in a landscape, while imagery is revealed as artistry. Imposing a clean, contemporary aesthetic onto these once dismissed relics of a by-gone era, Dettmer expands the role of the book as a �trophy of intellect� by creating objets d�arts as he explores their content, redirecting their relevance and unveiling the beauty within the covers.
Katy Clove (Durham, NC) expresses feminine identity and desire through intricate papercut silhouettes, depicting dream-like characters in animated states of play and duress. Clove draws narratives and gestures from hundreds of staged photographs of live figures, selecting the most �ripe� images, which simultaneously capture both the theatricality and authenticity of a character. Clove�s Untitled Frieze creates a procession of these characters, each struggling with their own dramas, while melding into one larger saga. Certain figures are singled out in Clove�s Totems, as guardians of the cast. As a companion to the work, Clove has created an installation of lace-weight crocheted silk loosely based on Indra�s Net, derived from the Buddhist concept that all phenomena are intimately connected.
Harrison Haynes (Durham, NC) investigates the ephemerality of experience through photo-collages constructed out of a personal photography archive, amassed over several years and taken during travels with his band, Les Savy Fav. Haynes� work is inspired by Gerhard Richter�s encyclopedic work Atlas, an ongoing project of 5,000 images in which individual photographs no longer existed yet the overall landscape contained morsels of desire and inspiration. Haynes discovered a new trajectory in his photographic work emerged when viewing the pieces not as momentos or objects with a fixed meaning, but rather as elements of new creations yet to be actualized. The result is a freshly constructed universe, enveloped by empty spaces activated by anticipation and informed by a matrix of landscapes and objects of varying familiarity.
SALTWORKS is a cutting-edge contemporary art gallery based in Atlanta, GA. Established in 2002, the gallery recently relocated to Atlanta�s Westside Arts District. SALTWORKS features artwork by emerging to mid-career artists, both local and international, with an emphasis on conceptually-strong, visually interesting works.
Established in 2003, Branch Gallery was a contemporary art space in Durham, NC committed to promoting the work of local, national, and international emerging and mid-career artists. Since its inception Branch Gallery served as a laboratory for the arts in the Southeast, seeking to present work which pushed the boundaries of visual art practice. Branch closed its doors in March 2009, after presenting over 50 group and solo exhibitions.
