Modes of Photographic Vision Exhibition Catalogue

FEATURED ARTISTS FEATUR

GREGORY DAVIS GREGORY HAVILANDHAVILAND & COLAGIOVANNI & COLAGIO WILLIAM KNIPSCHER WILLIAM KNIP ROBERT MULLENIX ROBERT MU JOHN SOUSA JOHN CRYSTAL TURSICH CRYSTAL TU

MODES OF MODES OF

photographi c photograph

visio vision

FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 8–MARCH8–MAR 18

ARTIST RECE ARTIST RECEPTION 12 • FEBRUARYFEBRUARY 12 • 5–8 P.M.

Ash C UC Blue Ash CollegeUC ArtBlue Gallery 4131 Cooper 4131 Cooper Road • Blue Ash, OH Ro

Photographic Vision: Modes of Photographic Vision: ction by H. An Michael Sandersby H. Michael Sanders Introduction

of photography has made Themade creative and Colagiovanni The medium of the photography has theteam of Haviland The creative team of Haviland and Colagiovanni its origin asjourney a simple mimetic utilize photography in a utilize similarphotography documentaryin a similar documentary from its origin as a simple mimetic vice, temporarily unseating fashion, focusing on objects withfocusing their own recording device, temporarily unseating fashion, on objects with their own ainting as a way to represent theas a way toephemeral existences hurtling toward physicalhurtling toward physical traditional painting represent the ephemeral existences lity of our world, to the fractured destruction, and do so indestruction, such a wayand thatdo a so in such a way that a objective reality of our world, to the fractured actices and approaches that and approaches palpable motion is imparted mosaic of practices thatsense of time and palpable sense of time and motion is imparted ntemporarycomprise photography as an art photography to their transitioning subjects. contemporary as an art to their transitioning subjects. mmunications tool: form andformal, communications tool: formal, metaphoric, conceptual, emotional, conceptual, William Knipscher’s mode of vision intertwines illustrative, metaphoric, emotional, William Knipscher’s mode of vision intertwines nd so forth. Consistent in this the photographic of light and visual reportage, and soarray forth. Consistent in this array vocabulary the photographic vocabulary of light and visual es is the development and is the development texture manipulation of approaches andwith that of physical texture with that ofand physical manipulation and f some mode of photographic concrete texture to create a unique conceptual application of some mode of photographic concrete texture to create a unique conceptual space within which the photographic visionthe is photographic vision is vision. space within which constructed on multiple,constructed simultaneous on levels. multiple, simultaneous levels. c vision can Photographic be defined as vision can be defined The resulting imagery emerges from aimagery world far as The resulting emerges from a world far finding yoursuccessfully way through the your way through removedthe from objectiveremoved reality while finding fromdepicting objectiveitreality while depicting it chnical attributes surrounding photographic and presence. precision and presence. morass of technicalthe attributes with surrounding the precision with photographic erface of themachine camera (or scanner).

It camera (or scanner). It interface of the oming the mental sensory the mentalUsing photography as their starting point, both is also and overcoming and sensory Using photography as their starting point, both erived from the utter ease of basic Robert SousaMullenix produceand John Sousa produce indolence derived from the utter easeMullenix of basic and John Robert ovided by modern micro-processor on canvas or panels thaton convincingly execution provided by modernpaintings micro-processor paintings canvas or panels that convincingly ras. Finally, photographic vision is photographic reflect idiosyncratic modes of photographic driven cameras.

Finally, vision is reflect idiosyncratic modes of photographic stultifying effects of the stultifying effectsvision, which are utilizedvision, as visual filtering avoiding of which are utilized as visual filtering medium-specific and general fine art traditions. devices tofrom concentrate essences from their cific and general fine art traditions. devices to concentrate essences their source material.

These oddly impart an unseen source material. These oddly impart an unseen vision arrivingelement at a or spiritual element derived from the concrete, c vision is, inPhotographic the end, arriving at is, a in the end, or spiritual derived from the concrete, highly personal manner of physical application nal and idiosyncratic mannerand of idiosyncratic physical application of accumulated layers ofof accumulated layers of eluding manipulating these pervasive material, guided by concept, on the surface of manipulating these and pervasive material, guided by concept, on the surface of thefunction medium; function as the work. he medium; features features of that asfeatures thethat work. constraints on the photographer/artist.

What is n the photographer/artist.

What is evident in photographs that exhibit Crystal Tursich explores the fuzzy boundaries hotographs that exhibit such Crystalsuch Tursich explores the fuzzy boundaries photographic visionand is the subjective intent and reality between objective c vision is the subjective intent between objective and visual illusion,reality as and visual illusion, as impulses to well asand thatdream, between memory and dream, in her impulses of irrepressible the photographer to of the photographer well as that between memory in her mundane reality in a totallypeculiar new perspective. peculiar landscape e reality in asee totally new perspective. landscape photographs.

These are photographs. These are The artistsexhibition, included in this group exhibition, images produced with primitive, plastic cameras, cluded in this group images produced with primitive, plastic cameras, the wide variety of techniques, styles,a trance-like which imparts a trance-like wide variety despite of techniques, styles, which imparts sense of vision to the sense of vision to the andwork, processes in their work, all aresubjects, drawn enhanced physical subjects, es seen in their all areseen drawn physical by the scale inenhanced by the scale in to a mode distinctly photographic mode ofthey seeing which they are presented. y photographic of seeing and which areand presented. o the world.responding to the world. exhibition, revolving This exhibition, revolvingThis around the ways that around the ways that documentary use of photographs is applied physical is transmuted into personal vision ntary use ofThe photographs is applied physical vision is transmuted intovision personal vision in a novel way by Gregory Davis to present his through the refracting lens of photography, ay by Gregory Davis to present his through the refracting lens of photography, anachronistic and ofpresent worlds attempts to the present c and fanciful constructions offanciful constructions attempts to seen by artistworlds seen by the artist technological mediathat systems; that constructions that that reverberate with subjective and conceptual l media systems; constructions reverberate with subjective and conceptual suggest patterns insights of thought about made physically ndering patterns of meandering thought about made physicallyinsights palpable to the viewer. palpable to the viewer. the technology gy surrounding us, and its surrounding us, and its inherently ephemeral nature. phemeral nature.

GREGORY DAVIS A more extensive collection of Gregory Davis’s artwork may be found on his website at gregorytdavis.com. He may be contacted directly at studio@gregorytdavis.com.

Work Included in Exhibition

• 3D Viewmaster, photograph (gelatin silver), 16” x 20” (2014) • Audiotape Player, photograph (gelatin silver), 16” x 20” (2014) • CD Drive, photograph (gelatin silver), 16” x 20” (2013) • Floppy Disc Conversion, photograph (gelatin silver), 16” x 20” (2014) • VHS Tape, photograph (gelatin silver), 16” x 20” (2013)

Artist’s Statement These photographs are from a series titled, The Impermanence of Knowledge, that examines experimental devices from the artist's imagination that were subsequently physically constructed in an attempt to extract information that has been lost due to changes in technology. Knowledge has been stored, but can no longer be retrieved through conventional means, leaving us with no choice but to create our own. The work is about information loss, which has become increasingly important in this age of digital storage and transmission, and is intended to provoke dialogue about how we view the impermanence of knowledge.

About the Artist Gregory Davis has an MFA in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has exhibited his work internationally since 2004, and recently exhibited in a two-person show at Texas Tech University that was also presented as part of a lecture at the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) in Wisconsin.

Clockwise, from top: 3D Viewmaster (2014), CD Drive (2013), Audiotape Player (2014)

Artist’s Statement Our work takes an act of destruction and reconfigures it into an act of making.

Work Included in Exhibition

About the Artists Melissa Haviland & David Colagiovanni are a collaborative artist team living and working in Athens, Ohio. Their work includes artist books, zines, video and sound composition, sculpture and installation, photography, printmaking and music releases.

"Music for Teacups" is their first large scale piece exploring class, tradition, heritage, and table etiquette. "Dinner Music" features seven full sets of china recorded in slow motion while falling and breaking on a dining room table. The pair recently returned from Varanasi, India, where they were capturing breaking footage of regional chai cups.

• Seepage: Evolution/Anger/Dieting, spray paint on newsprint on board, 8” x 10” x 1” (2015) • Anti-Gravity I, photograph (large format Polaroid), 24” x 30” (2013) • Anti-Gravity 2, photograph (large format Polaroid), 24” x 20” (2013) • Dinner Music, video with stereo sound, 13 minutes (2013) • Fiestaware 3, photograph (digital), 26.5” x 40” (2014) • Homer Laughlin 1, photograph (digital), 26.5” x 40” (2014) • Music for Teacups, video with stereo sound, 7 minutes (2012)

HAVILAND & COLAGIOVANNI A more extensive collection of Haviland & Colagiovanni’s artwork may be found on their website at melissahaviland.com. They may be contacted directly at haviland@ohio.edu. .

Clockwise, from top: Dinner Music (2013), Music for Teacups (2012), Anti-Gravity 2 (2013), Anti-Gravity 1 (2013)

WILLIAM KNIPSCHER A more extensive collection of William Knipscher’s artwork may be found on his website at williamknipscher.com. He may be contacted directly at wknipscher@hotmail.com. .

Clockwise, from top left: Where the Light Goes (006) (2014), Where the Light Goes (004) (2014), Where the Light Goes (001) (2014)

Artist’s Statement The photographs from Where the Light Goes started as a homage to the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 cranes to heal a loved one, but soon became a way to discover how light interacts with a three-dimensional photosensitive object. For some time I’ve been folding silver gelatin photo paper into three-dimensional forms and exposing these forms under light and then unfolding and processing them as flat prints.

The unfolded prints record this indexical act of the path of light, reflecting and refracting, revealing the imperfections of my handiwork. The prints in the exhibition are enlarged cropped portions of the freeform folds I made in the darkroom.

Work Included in Exhibition

• Where the Light Goes (001), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014) • Where the Light Goes (002), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014) • Where the Light Goes (003), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014) • Where the Light Goes (004), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014) • Where the Light Goes (005), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014) • Where the Light Goes (006), photograph (pigment print), 11” x 14” (2014)

About the Artist William Knipscher has a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and received his MFA in Photographic and Electronic Media from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He is currently an Assistant Professor and Head of the Photography Major at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. His work explores the themes of impermanence and temporality, and is expressed through a physical manipulation of photography that collapses the boundaries between technology and craft.

ROBERT MULLENIX A more extensive collection of Robert Mullenix’s artwork may be found on his website at rwmullenix.com. He may be contacted directly at rwmullenix@gmail.com.

Artist’s Statement The photograph is the basis for these images, reflecting a conceptual as well as a physical distance from the subject matter, as we tend to experience the outdoors vicariously through the filter of media. The imagery is derived from appropriated photographs of trees in various publications, which are then digitally manipulated and enlarged to emphasize the dot-matrix. This is the basis for the final painting; the photographic image is repainted. The pixel dictates the brush mark; the color and light are invented. In keeping with these tensions, I investigate cool/warm, high key/low key contrasts. The result is that the final image is partially photographic, partially handrendered, and almost always pixelated – the photograph is translated into paint. The hand of the artist is subject to the mechanics of the photographic process. I have become increasingly impatient with my process as I watch the world crumble.

About the Artist Robert Mullenix has an MFA from the University of Illinois and is based in Oxford, Ohio. He has presented numerous solo exhibitions of his over the past several years.

Work Included in Exhibition

• (re) Wild, mixed media on panel, 16” x 20” (2015) • Deposition, mixed media on canvas, 30” x 40” (2015) • Disturbance, , mixed media on panel, 24” x 24” (2013) • Longwave, acrylic and oil on canvas, 34” x 60” (2015) • Modulation, mixed media on panel, 16” x 20” (2015)

Clockwise, from top: Disturbance (2013), Longwave (2015), Wild (2015), Deposition (2015),

JOHN SOUSA A more extensive collection of John Sousa’s artwork may be found on his website at johnsousa.com. He may be contacted directly at johnsousa@aol.com. .

Artist’s Statement The works in this series are computer-manipulated and compiled photographic images printed over a textured surface of paint and collaged text fragments with glazes as a final layer, on aluminum-honeycomb panels. The series deals with the concept of “pareidolia,” a phenomenon in which one perceives meaning in abstract stimuli – for example seeing the face of Jesus in a piece of burnt toast or images in clouds. I’ve long been obsessed with blurring the lines between photography and painting, and am also interested in how we perceive and infer meaning. Even though I’m a formalist at heart, I have a desire to aspire toward the profound and sublime.

From top: Theophanic Angel – Essentia (2014), Theophanic Angel – Pater (2014), Theophanic Angel – Spiritus Sanctus (2014) Work Included in Exhibition

• Theophanic Angel – Essentia, UV cured inks over alkyd and collage on aluminum honeycomb panel, 60” x 60” x 2.25” (2014) • Theophanic Angel – Pater, UV cured inks over alkyd and collage on aluminum honeycomb panel, 60” x 60” x 2.25” (2014) • Theophanic Angel – Spiritus Sanctus, UV cured inks over alkyd and collage on aluminum honeycomb panel, 60” x 60” x 2.25” (2014) • Theophanic Angel – Sapientia, UV cured inks over alkyd and collage on aluminum honeycomb panel, 60” x 60” x 2.25” (2014)

About the Artist John Sousa was born in Detroit and currently works in Springboro, Ohio. He works in diverse styles, with a focus on language and photography as seen through the formal qualities of the materials and subject matter. He has exhibited widely across the U.S. and is the recipient of numerous artist’s fellowships.

CRYSTAL TURSICH A more extensive collection of Crystal Tursich’s artwork may be found on her website at crystaltursich.com. She may be contacted directly at ctursich@gmail.com.

Artist’s Statement These large photographs are from a series called Disillusion, and were produced using low tech Diana and Holga cameras. They are attempts to focus on the confusion between reality and illusion, past and present, dream states and consciousness. Using the familiar imagery of landscapes, often combined into double exposures, viewers are invited to embark on a challenge of making sense of the intentionally ambiguous imagery.

About the Artist Crystal Tursich is an artist living and working in Columbus, Ohio. Her work has been exhibited in juried and group exhibitions in Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, and most recently in New York City. She holds an MFA from Columbus College of Art & Design and a BFA from Adrian College. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Art at The Ohio State University and an adjunct faculty member at Columbus College of Art & Design.

Work Included in Exhibition

• Disillusion, photograph (archival pigment print), 30” x 30” (2014) • Daydream, photograph (archival pigment print), 30” x 30” (2014) • Clarity, photograph (archival pigment print), 30” x 30” (2015) • Bright, photograph (archival pigment print), 30” x 30” (2015) • Seek, photograph (archival pigment print), 30” x 30” (2015)

Background: Clarity (2015), From top: Disillusion (2014), Daydream (2014)

Acknowledgments The UC Blue Ash Art Gallery is supported by the Office of the Dean and the departments of Art & Visual Communication and Electronic Media Communications. This exhibition is curated by H. Michael Sanders and John Wolfer.

Gallery publications are edited by H. Michael Sanders and designed by Michael Ziepfel. John Wolfer is gallery director. A full online catalogue, including a PDF of this brochure, is available for this exhibition at the UC Blue Ash Art Gallery webpage at: ucblueash.edu/about/community/art-gallery.