Jan 22

Jan 22 Exhibition Review: Keith Carter | Ghostlight

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© Keith Carter. *Ghostlight, 2021*. Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX.

Written by Olivia Young

Copyedited by Chloë Rain

Photo Edited by Haley Winchell

Exhibition Review: Keith Carter Ghostlight

In Ghostlight, Keith Carter explores the beauty of The Big Thicket, a Natural Preserve located in Texas. Primarily capturing animals and natural scenes, Carter approaches his work with a surreal gaze. His images possess a ghostly air, utilizing editing techniques to create a distinct, yet still dream-like, definition of the subject. Often enclosed in a thick, black, vignette border, the viewer’s attention immediately gravitates inward. His work appears to glow, the white of the two-toned images illuminated against the black. Ghostlight is haunting, evoking feelings of wistfulness as Carter explores a natural wonderland.

One of the most striking images, of which the exhibit is named after, is Ghost Light (2021). It features a willow tree, framed in a way that isolates the tree from the surrounding forest. Its leaves drape across the image, plunging downwards amidst a fogged overlay. Despite the lack of color, the tree appears life-like, its details intensified by the monochromatic theme of the exhibit. Consistent with the rest of this body of work, Ghost Light (2021) is as beautiful as it is eerie. Carter is drawn towards scenes that may appear regular, but, when seen through his lens, become distinct. Through emphasis of shadows and highlights, a willow tree is transformed into a compelling, spectral image.

© Keith Carter. *Crossing, 2019*. Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX.

Carter features a range of natural scenes similar to Ghost Light (2021). Another image, Crossing (2019) depicts a trail, where an animal and its smaller counterpart are captured walking along. The entirety of the remaining image is consumed with thick, looming forestry. It encloses the animals, their shapes appearing miniscule in comparison. The broad branches of trees reach across the image. In between them hangs a ceiling of drooping leaves. This theme is also explored in pieces such as Angelina (2021), where arching trees are reflected against a glowing lake, as well as in Cormorants (2019). This image depicts a number of birds perched atop a thinning tree, their black figures stark against the white background.

© Keith Carter. *Angelina, 2021.* Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX.

© Keith Carter. *Cormorants, 2019.* Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX.

However, Bog Dog (2014) differs from these pieces in the way that it completely secludes its subject from its surroundings. There is no visibility of any background, ensuring the focus of the image to be only the dog, his head tilted upward. Though his stance implies pride, his gaze feels solemn. The remainder of his body is slightly blurred, drawing the eye even more so to his expression. It is images such as these, alongside pieces that take on a darker color scheme, that make Carter’s work so captivating. Through a curated eye and intensity of editing, he takes what is seen by many and allows it to be reborn into the world that is Ghostlight.