Issue No. 28 – Control

What is the nature of control? The desire for it—and to be free of it—are essential parts of both life and art.

Exhibition Review: Starr King / Lands End By John Chiara

Exhibition Review: Starr King / Lands End By John Chiara

Lands End: Martin Luther King: Mansell, 2021, Image on Ilfochrome Paper, Unique photograph 49 x 39 in., ©John Chiara, Courtesy Rose Gallery 

Written by Sophie Yates

Edited by Jana Massoud

John Chiara’s marvelous photographs are taken with cameras made by the artist himself - some the size of a small elephant - that take in light through photographic paper. To begin his process, Chiara positions himself inside one of his box cameras. One singular photograph takes him about half a day to capture. This is accomplished with the use of a sheet of photographic paper - around four feet by six feet - and necessarily the accuracy of the exposure and light. Each work includes three images that layer on top of one another, inspiring a three-dimensional feel. 

Coral: Starr King: Mansell, 2021, Image on Ilfochrome Paper, Unique photograph 50 x 40 in., ©John Chiara, Courtesy Rose Gallery

According to a press release, for this photographic method, “the artist turns the photographic paper around and exposes it to sunlight, allowing the unfiltered light to directly hit the back of the emulsion, creating a golden hue over some of the images and the silhouette.”

Chiara’s unique process, its length, and the elaborate technicalities involved in it make his work all the more impressive and exciting to view. Starr Kind and Lands End are both locations where Chiara focuses on photographing forests, attempting to portray an imprint of memory for the viewers. He calls these works ‘mindscapes.’ “As time goes on and life continues, the origin of the memory fades, but the visual imprint remains,” Chiara explains. The most important part of the viewing process is not the subject of the photo, rather, it’s the feeling involved with it, in Chiara’s attempt to recreate what a distant memory feels and looks like through multiple exposures. 

Starr King: Coral: Midway, 2021, Image on Ilfochrome Paper, Unique, ©John Chiara, Courtesy Rose Gallery

"Memory is something you can never see perfectly clearly. You get different parts very sharply, but you never can see the full picture all the time. Also, I think memory has divergent edges and is sort of unbound in a sense. I hope that the work touches on memory in that sense—not necessarily nostalgia or a longing for the past—but more something that’s tied to reconciliation,” Chiara said.

“Carolina : Coral : Starr King, 2021”, 50 x 40 inches, has three layers, including a silhouette of a tree and a golden hue from sunlight exposure on the photographic paper. 

“Coral : Middle Road, 2021”, measuring 50 x 40 inches, portrays similar elements, with golden and blue hues scattered throughout the image and a large silhouette of a tree. Lighter shadows of trees fill the lower half of the image, giving a layering effect. The blurred details make Chiara’s goal of portraying memories possible.

Starr King: Martin Luther King: Lands End, 2021 Image on Ilfochrome Paper, Unique photograph 50 x 40 in., ©John Chiara, Courtesy Rose Gallery 

ROSEGALLERY, located in Santa Monica, California, will exhibit Starr Kind / Lands End, Chiara’s latest works from April 16, 2022 until June 4, 2022. All of the photos were taken in his hometown of San Francisco. More information about the exhibition can be found at the Rose Gallery’s website here.

Photo Editor: Chris Zarcadoolas

Exhibition Review: Carnegie Museum of Art: Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh, 1944/1946

Exhibition Review: Carnegie Museum of Art: Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh, 1944/1946

Photo Journal Monday: Ana Palacios

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