Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Photographs at Gilman are a timeline of images

Exhibition features past and present photographers


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

“With Le Dragon, Bazaar,” Paris, 1963, by Melvin Sokolsky. Silver gelatin print at Gilman Contemporary.

Looking at the past to understand the future is helpful when appreciating artists and the work artists produce. Gilman Contemporary's new exhibition, "Smoke and Mirrors: The Magic of Photography," is a collection of images that features fashion photography from the 1950s and 1960s as well as contemporary photography.

"This is my dream show," said Gilman Contemporary owner L'Anne Gilman. "My first love is photography. Melvis Sokolsky and William Klein's photographs are museum-quality images."

Gilman Contemporary has amassed a unique and stunning exhibition of photographs, including those by Sokolsky, Klein, Jeri Eisenberg, Julie Blackmon and Chris Jordan. Sokolsky's and Klein's fashion photography was created in a dark room with the techniques of dodging and burning.

"Sokolsky pushed the medium of silver gelatin prints," Gilman said. "Moving into contemporary and digital photography, Blockmon creates a fantasy world but it's based in reality."

A piece by Jeri Eisenberg is another twist on photography. Eisenberg has printed her image on rice paper as a diptych and covered it with wax. The pieces are attached to its frame only at the top of the prints by strong magnets, allowing it to move in the air. Eisenberg created this piece and others like it for a series when her father started losing his sight and memory.

Jordon's images are conceptual images based on statistics. His photographic image "Denali, Denali" at Gilman Contemporary is a single image of the Alaskan peak at first glance. Upon closer examination, the viewer will see the image was created by 24,000 logo images of the GMC Yukon Denali, which equal six weeks of sales of that model SUV in 2004. Jordan suggests that multiple images will have a different effect than actual raw numbers, giving a new perspective to the idea of mass consumption and frivolous needs.

"Jordon makes a statement," Gilman said. "It's not hypocritical or finger waging. He is bringing something to everyone's attention."

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.