Contemporary West | E. Dan Klepper on Art and Photography
Special Events third thursday artist receptions Meet the Artist with lite bites & libations 4-6:30pm Thursday, June 18th Thursday, July 16th Thursday, August 20th exhibition viewing times Tuesdays-Thursdays, 4-6:30pm *limited attendance please call ahead for viewing reservations
Contemporary West | E. Dan Klepper on Art and Photography on view June 15 - August 21, 2020 A Collaborative Exhibition Presented By Foltz Fine Art and The Haley Memorial Library & History Center
At the Haley Memorial Library & History Center 1805 W. Indiana Avenue . Midland, Texas 79701 432.682.5785 . www.haleylibrary.com Tuesdays - Thursdays, 4-6:30pm “ocotillo forest�
The Haley Memorial Library & History Center in Midland, Texas collaborates once again with Foltz Fine Art of Houston to present an innovative summer exhibition: Contemporary West – E. Dan Klepper On Art and Photography Based in Far West Texas, Klepper, one of the state’s most prominent, contemporary photographers/ artists/writers, explores the western landscape on his own terms in his first solo exhibition at the Haley Library. Throughout the galleries, Klepper tackles the landscape and photography through an investigation of history, nature, and popular frontier culture. Klepper’s invented movie stills, printed on cinema-like screens, depict outlaws, drive-ins and sci-fi spectacles. These large-scale images hang alongside intimate, hand-painted photographs that pitch invention against documentation, and weave fiction into fact. Many of Klepper’s images are a kind of meditation on time, unfolding in the western landscape, from seconds to hours to centuries. He captures fleeting moments, such as lightning striking, birds in flight, and moons rising, in multiple images, creating “brushwood”
surprising compositions. Here, transience is arrested. The western landscape takes the lead in this exhibition, “…including all of its natural attributes,” says Klepper, “just as it was in the western movies that inspired me. As a spectator, I find its drama always unpredictable (no two moments are ever alike) and, as a photographer, I believe it embodies many of the things I want to understand and explore about life on this planet.” In this exhibition, Klepper repeatedly challenges the truth-telling nature of his chosen medium, pushing its limits through creative expression and invention, blending past and present within these real and imagined histories, and thus, bringing veracity itself into question. We invite the Viewer to explore the Contemporary West through the eyes of E. Dan Klepper. -Sarah Foltz, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas Summer 2020
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Staged Production Still (Double Feature)
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hotographers have been documenting the West since the camera was first introduced to America over 150 years ago. But when did western photography make the leap from documentation to invention, from photography to art?
For me, it occurred in the movies with classic westerns like “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. These pictures, shot frame-by-frame on film and then projected onto giant drive-in movie screens, literally “supersized” the idea of the west, romanticizing the landscape in a mashup of dramatic locations and imaginative story-telling. When I first saw these movies as a kid with a camera growing up in Texas, I realized that one day I could use photography and the western landscape to invent stories of just about anything I wanted to and, under the right circumstances, make them real.
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Staged Production Still (End of Days)
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staged production still (alamo down)
staged production still (george 2.0)
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staged production still (star power)
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DOCUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY D o c u m e n t a r y p h o to g r a p hy i s o f te n u s e d fo r autobiography, something that is now routine for almost everyone with a smart phone and an Instagram account. Like many photographers of my generation, I began documenting my personal stories before the introduction of
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the smart phone and social media. I continue to do so today, although I still prefer using an actual camera over the one in my phone. I used several different cameras to document 7 years of off-the-grid living in the Big Bend region of Texas, a project that became the autobiographical book of essays and photographs titled “Why the Raven Calls the Canyon�.
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PHOTOGRAPHY, DOCUMENTATION AND INVENTION There are times when photography serves documentation and autobiography in inventive ways. This series of handpainted, photo-based monoprints feature some of my ancestors. I’ve used artistry to enhance them and have retained their information - including identities, dates and locations (information known as provenance) - in an attempt to distinguish them from thousands of similar antique photographs with no surviving affliliation, creating a more personalized and robust family archive of what remains. For many photographs like these, as well as images archived in places like the Haley Memorial Library and Archive where these images are being exhibited, preserving the connection between a photograph of someone and its provenance achieves a small victory over mortality. It establishes a corporeal existence that survives once the actual person in the photograph or any living memory of them are gone; the precursor, perhaps, to a future of “virtual” existence.
fred wiley haifley & orie armantrout, m.i., armantrout studio, possibly golden, colorado, c. 1900s
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ethel mason, campbell homa territory, c.
& edwards studio, shawne, okla1900’s
leo dibrell klepper, bennie margaurite klepper & family dog, postcard, sherman, texas, 1910
alma & ema antle, postcard, 1890s
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baby orville with mustache
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Documentation, when combined with invention, also provides opportunities for embellishment, characteristics of photography since its infancy. (Examples include cannonballs and dead bodies repositioned to enhance the drama in battlefield photographs of the mid-1800s.) In other words, history - in photographs and elsewhere - is not always represented with total accuracy. In some instances, and especially in personal histories, we often represent the past in ways that we choose to rather than how it actually occurred. These hand-painted, photo-based monoprints are also of my ancestors. But I used artistry to combine their features into new individuals, creating a whimsical set of ancestors that aren’t actually real but still suggest how I came to be.
pa-ma
right, young grannie overeen
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RE-IMAGINING HISTORY: THE HOBO CODE Documentation and invention can also be used to recreate a historically accurate past, such as in these hand-painted, photo-based monoprints depicting the Hobo Code. After the end of the Civil War, and later during the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was common to see hobos making their way across the western frontier via back roads and railroad lines. Unlike tramps, who avoided working when possible, or bums who refused to work at all, hobos considered themselves migrant workers, preferring to receive hand-outs like a hot meal or a place to spend the night in exchange for performing services like shoeing horses or repairing fences. Hobos created the Hobo Code, a vocabulary of symbols, to pass along directions, information and warnings to each other which they painted or drew on landmarks like fence posts, tree trunks and barns along the hobo routes. Although most painted hobo code symbols weathered away many decades ago, the code itself survives. In these images, I’ve combined documentation with invention by photographing locations that retain the appearance of an early 20th century western frontier. Then, by using the photographic arts, I’ve integrated symbols from the code into their likely places.
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PHOTOGRAPHY, TIME AND SPACE Many of my images are about how time unfolds in the western landscape, whether over seconds, hours or centuries. Sequencing photographs is one way to depict this idea of time. These two matching panels record the full moon setting over a west Texas desert in a sequence of 240 photographs taken over a 3-hour period. Like a storyline in a movie, this mosaic of individual photographs describes something more in the sum of its parts by compressing units of time into a united expression.
“full cold moon�
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This photographic sequence combines hailstones, which form and melt in less than an hour, with quartz crystals that may require thousands of years to produce, documenting the vast time disparity between objects that are often created with the aid of the same element (water) and similar forces (freezing and heating).
“hailstones�
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“apache road�
PURE WEST The western landscape continues to be a leading subject in my photography, including all of its natural attributes, just as it was in the western movies that inspired me. As a spectator, I find 26|
“red ladder�
its drama always unpredictable (no two moments are ever alike) and, as an artist, I believe it embodies many of the things I want to understand and explore about life on this planet. |27
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“raincurtain”
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WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY‌FOR THE BIRDS For this series, I photographed live wild birds against patterned textile backdrops. To do so, I contacted ornithologists who were banding and releasing birds, then transported my equipment to their bird banding locations, set up my gear and, with help from field assistants, photographed songbirds and hummingbirds against different backdrops as
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the birds were set free. Although a bird in flight is a beautiful thing, what I found just as intriguing were the unique gestures made by the human field assistants, like hand signals of the subconscious, the moment they released the birds into the wild.
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THE LONGEST TRAIN
Trains began traveling across the western landscape at about the same time photography started capturing them doing so, forging a link between a subject matter and a medium that has yet to be broken. In West Texas, freight trains are as much a part of the routine landscape as dust devils and tumbleweeds. Sometimes, as trains cross the open desert grasslands from Marathon to Marfa, they
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stretch beyond the horizon. In order to capture Marfa Plateau, I outpaced a freight train, then set up near a mountain pass where I knew the train would appear. Once the train arrived, I took a series of photographs as it moved through the landscape. The resulting panoramic sequence suggests a freight train with neither beginning nor end, creating a sense of endlessness. |33
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CAIRNS Cairns, a Scottish Gaelic term for human-assembled stone stacks, have been used to mark routes for thousands of years. You’ll find them throughout the Big Bend, helping to negotiate brushy canyons and ocotillo-covered mesas. I like the way they suddenly appear in the landscape, like a friendly guiding hand, and how they serve as a kind of code for navigating adventure and for finding your way home.
“nine boulders”
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E. DAN KLEPPER (American, b. 1956) Fine art photographer, writer and outdoor adventurer E Dan Klepper resides just north of Big Bend National Park in Marathon, Texas. Klepper’s renowned large-scale photo mosaics, sculptures and experimental videos carry a unique juxtaposition of subject matter rooted in the wild untamed landscape of rural Texas and crafted with high-tech tools and methods. His works can be found in The Washington Post’s In Sight online magazine, as well as in collections, festivals and exhibitions across Texas, the U.S., Canada and Europe. Klepper’s book of fine art photography and essays, Why the Raven Calls the Canyon, is available in bookstores nationwide from Texas A&M University Press. His work is represented by Foltz Fine Art in Houston and can be found at his gallery in Marathon and online at www.kleppergallery.com.
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E. Dan Klepper, in his studio, Marathon, Texas, 2020
SELECTED BIOGRAPHICAL AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS •BFA, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas •MFA, School of the Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois •1982-86, Arts Council Fellowship, Illinois •2009, Published 100 Classic Hikes in Texas, Mountaineers Books •2017, Published Why the Raven Calls the Canyon, Texas A&M University Press
•2018, Birds in Art, Reaves/Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2019, The Texas Aesthetic XIII, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2019, The New Show, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2019, State of Contrast, Kinzelman Art & Foltz Fine Art, Bank of America Center Lobby, Houston, Texas •2019, The Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2019-20, Storied Lands, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2020, Houston Center for Photography Auction, Houston, Texas
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS •2017, Fotosieptembre USA, San Antonio, Texas •2017, The Texas Aesthetic, Reaves/Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas •2018, The West Texas Mystique, Houston Fotofest 2018 Biennial, Reaves/Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas
FESTIVALS Time Arts (Analogue And Digital Video) •American Film Institute Video Festival, Los Angeles, California •Montreal Musiques Actuelles/ New Music America, Quebec, Canada
•Australia Video Festival, Adelaide, Australia •European Media Art Festival, Osnabruck, Germany •Video Shorts, Seattle, Washington •Berlin International Film Festival, Germany •13th Poetry Film/Video Festival, San Francisco, California •Video Culture International, “New Media”, Toronto, Canada •Great Lakes Film And Video Festival, Milwaukee, Wisconsin •San Sebastian International Video Festival, Spain •Center For Media Arts, “Festival De Video”, Paris, France GROUP EXHIBITIONS •Art In Chicago, 1945-1995, Museum Of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois •Vipfilm 8, Berlin, Germany •Multiples, Atlanta, Georgia • Family Ties, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, California •Encontros”, Glubenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal •Video Drive-In, Ivam, Valencia, Spain •Video Drive-In, Nci, Lisbon, Portugal •Chicago Works: Art From The Windy City, Erie Museum Of Art, Pennsylvania •Kunst Video, Gallery F15, Moss, Norway •Basically Boxes, Klein Gallery, Chicago, Illinois •Making Myths, White Columns, New York, New York •Chicago Survey, The Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada •The Science Of Fiction/The Fiction Of Science, Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois •Myths And Miracles, Center For New Television, Chicago, Illinois
•Chicago Scene, Mandeville Art Gallery, San Diego, California •Chicago Video, The Kitchen, New York, New York •Video 8, Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York •Video – Chicago Style, Global Village, New York, New York •3 Erlanger Videotage, University Of Erlanger, Germany •Video Works, West Hubbard Street Gallery, Chicago, Illinois •Chicago Video, Minneapolis Institute Of Art, Minnesota • Sexuality Series, Rhode Island Museum Of Art, Providence, Rhode Island •Video Pool, Winnipeg, Canada •Modern Dangers, Hallwalls, Buffalo, New York •New Wave Series, First Street Forum, St. Louis, Missouri •Roles, Representations, Sexuality, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania •Science And Fiction, Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts •Television, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago, Illinois •Southofbasse, Baker Studio, San Antonio, Texas COMMISSIONS •San Antonio Area Foundation •East Post Ranch •Tim Cuppett Architects •Arnow Residence •Muhlig Residence GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS •1982, Arts Council Completion Grant, Illinois •1983, Arts Council Fellowship, Illinois •1984, Arts Council Fellowship, Illinois •1985, Regional Fellowship Award, Illinois •1986, Arts Council Fellowship, Illinois |37
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS •Conoco, Houston, Texas •Lakeside Country Club, Houston, Texas •Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas •Texas State University, Health Professionals Building, Round Rock, Texas •University Health System, Salud-Arte Program, San Antonio, Texas •Warburg Pincus, Houston, Texas BIBLIOGRAPHY •“E. Dan Klepper And The Middle Of Nowhere”, Dana Joseph, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Feb/March 2018 •“Show Review: State of Contrast – E. Dan Klepper: The West Texas Mystique”, Mackenzie McCreary, Southwest Art, March 2018 •“Marathon Run”, Susan L. Ebert, Dorado Magazine, March 2016 •“Off-The-Grid”, The Washington Post, April 29, 2015 •Texas Monthly, Jordan Breal, Sept. 2011, Volume 39, Issue 9, P. 54 •American Film Institute, Catalogue, 1989, P. 13 •Video Drive-In Valencia, Catalogue (Spanish/English), Sept 1989, P. 31 •Encontros, Catalogue (Portuguese/English), 1989, P. 126 •Screen, M. Soltis/D. Schebers, Nov 1989, P. 20 •New City, Tim Jacobs, July 1989, P. 8 •New Art Examiner, Review, Jeff Abell, “Basically Boxes”, March 1986, P. 50 •Chicago Tribune, David Prescott, May 1985, Sec. 7, P. 45 •New Art Examiner, Review, Lucas Haas, Feb. 1981, P. 17 •Visions, Satoru Fujii, Editor, Feb. 1981, P. 73 38|
EDITORIAL BOOKS •Why The Raven Calls The Canyon ~ Off The Grid In Big Bend Country, Texas A&M University Press (Spring 2017) •100 Classic Hikes In Texas, Mountaineers Books, (Spring 2009) •Spirit Walker ~ Jd Challenger And His Art, Tide-Mark Press (2005). •Ghostdancing ~ Sacred Medicine And The Art Of Jd Challenger, Stewart, Tabori And Chang, 1998. (Edwin Daniels) •Wolf Walking, Stewart, Tabori And Chang, 1997. (Edwin Daniels) MAGAZINES (FEATURES/ARTICLES/ PHOTOGRAPHY •Texas Highways •Texas Parks And Wildlife Magazine •Texas Coop Power •Cowboys & Indians Magazine •Texas Lifestyle Magazine •Taos Magazine •American Cowboy •Lonestar Outdoor News •Mountain Athletics WRITING/PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS •2015, Gold Award, Photo Series, International Regional Magazine Association
•2015, Silver Award, Magazine Photographer Of The Year, International Regional Magazine Association •2015, Merit Award, Travel Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2014, Silver Award, Travel Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2014, Silver Award, Photo Series, International Regional Magazine Association •2010, Silver Award, Historical Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2009, Merit Award, Cultural Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2009, Bronze Award, Historical Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2006, Merit Award, Historical Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •2004, Gold Award, Travel Feature, International Regional Magazine Association •Excellence In Craft, Books, Texas Outdoor Writers Association •Excellence In Craft, Photography, Texas Outdoor Writers Association
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Exhibition Co-Sponsors
Foltz Fine Art, a legacy gallery located in Houston, Texas, is dedicated to preserving the art history and visual culture of Texas through the presentation and promotion of artists working in the state over the past 100 years, focusing on three strands of Texas art—Early Historic, Midcentury Modernism, and Contemporary Regionalism. The gallery maintains a strong reputation as a trusted art advisor, secondary market specialist, and champion of Historical, Modern and Contemporary Texas art. Additionally, Foltz Fine Art is a comprehensive gallery offering fine art appraisals, consultation, collections management, brokerage, and sales services. The Haley Memorial Library & History Center was opened in the summer 0f 1976 in Midland, Texas as the home of the historical collections of historian and author J. Evetts Haley. The Mission Revival edifice houses a significant western art collection with original pieces from the founders and early members of the Cowboy Artists of America. Fine art has always been a medium for communication of historical events, themes, and ideas of American culture. The Haley Library’s impressive galleries allow for multiple exhibits of the fine art of that culture. Quality is timeless and enduring and the Haley Library strives to maintain exhibits of the highest quality. The Library also is home to the first Alamo Mission Bell, cast in 1722.
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The Haley Memorial Library & History Center 1805 W. Indiana Avenue Midland, Texas 79701 www.haleylibrary.com | 432.682.5785
2143 Westheimer Road Houston, Texas, 77098 www.foltzgallery.com | 713.521.7500 info@foltzgallery.com