Thomas Demand: Dailies is a series of images inspired by camera-phone photographs. Thomas Demand's unique and laborious methods of creating these zen-like pictures started with snap-shots taken on-the-go. The content consists of simple moments captured during his daily routine. With these photographs, he then sourced the composition and reconstructed them with paper as sculptures, then he photographed that, and destroyed the sculpture. Then, he printed the images using the dye-transfer process, a printing method known for it's labor-intensity.
The process yields bold, dense colors. The simplicity of the images evokes reflection and an air of solitude. A meditative quality exists. It is especially so in this image of a hotel door. It is less to about a narrative, or viewpoint, but a focus on the composition and the calmness brought out by its unimposing nature.
It took Demand approximately 40 hours to create each print through this final dye-transfer process. The type of printer and paper on its way to extinction making these prints the last of their kind. This exhibition takes the idea of camera-phone photography and, in a way, legitimizes it as a true art-form so long as it exists in some sort of sacred and well practiced labor-intensive process.
Thomas Demand: Dailies will be on view from November 1st through December 21st, 2013, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6PM.
Review and photos by Carlos Fonts
