Obscura Gallery Inaugural Group Exhibition
June 29 – August 3, 2018 Obscura Gallery 1405 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Opening Reception: July 14, 2018, 4-7pm
LIMELIGHT: Susan Burnstine, Brigitte Carnochan, Coco Fronsac, Aline Smithson, Joyce Tenneson
Obscura Gallery is thrilled to present our inaugural photographic exhibition this Summer in our newly renovated gallery space at 1405 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The exhibition title, Limelight, is inspired by and celebrates the late New York Greenwich Village pioneer gallerist Helen Gee and her gallery of the same name started in 1954. Gee’s gallery was the first successful and enduring exhibition space devoted exclusively to selling photography during the post Second World War era in New York. Our group exhibition celebrates five pioneering female Obscura Gallery artists working in contemporary approaches to early photographic process, all exhibiting brand new work or work never before seen in New Mexico. Included in the exhibition are Susan Burnstine, Brigitte Carnochan, Coco Fronsac, Aline Smithson, and Joyce Tenneson.
THE EXHIBITION:
We are proud to be debuting never-before exhibited, new color work by Southern California artist, Susan Burnstine. Burnstine portrays her dream-like visions entirely in-camera, rather than with post-processing manipulations by creating her own hand-made cameras and lenses that are frequently unpredictable and technically challenging. In the past Burnstine has portrayed her visions through the lens of black and white, and this new work, incorporating color, brings a new sense of reality to her dreamlike visions.
Northern California artist Brigitte Carnochan is exhibiting still lifes from her garden in the platinum palladium process, embuing a sensuality to the still life as she does so in her nudes and botanicals. Prolific in every series she produces, Carnochan’s work is always elegant, eluding to the poetic and inspired by literature.
Obscura is proud to introduce Coco Fronsac to the United States photography circuit for the first time with this exhibition. Fronsac is well known in her home-city of Paris, France for her unique one-of-a-kind pieces in which she draws and paints on 19th century vernacular photographs. With this medium, she creates a surreal world inspired by her collection of tribal masks from the Western indigenous world.
We will be debuting new work by Southern California artist, Aline Smithson. Smithson exhibits a selection from her new project, The Fugue State, which speaks to the fading away of specific memories and identity – as the work serves as an in-between of the future and the past. The images are created from bleached negatives, winding the film stock in various ways, and then reinterpreting them in the digital darkroom, resulting in vivid color portraits and patterns.
Lastly, Obscura will be exhibiting golden landscape images by Maine artist Joyce Tenneson, resembling earlier prints of hers in which she actually applied gold leafing resonating the orotone process. The exhibition includes quiet, mood-evoking photographs of trees in her similar style and portrayal of ethereal portraiture in which she is so known for.
Three of the five artists in the exhibition are Santa Fe Photographic Workshop instructors (Burnstine, Smithson and Tenneson). Susan Burnstine and Aline Smithson will both be present at the opening reception on the heels of their 2018 Summer workshops.
THE GALLERY:
Obscura Gallery, started in 2016, and named after the original Camera Obscura, was founded on our passion for photography which is deeply rooted in the history of the medium. Our Gallery encourages the ways in which contemporary artists are using photography to create unique additions to the history of photography which began nearly 200 years ago.
The gallery was conceived by Owner and Director Jennifer Schlesinger. A photography dealer, and artist herself, Jennifer brings to Obscura Gallery the experience of being the Director of VERVE Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico for eleven years. Jennifer’s career experience has led to developing long term relationships with artists, clients, and collectors as well as the local, national and international photographic community.
In addition to offering for sale the artwork by Obscura Gallery’s roster of artists and gallery inventory, we also offer collection building, consulting and advising, as well as estate representation, and consignments. We can assist in many facets of photographic collection, de-accession, and research.
Obscura Gallery’s is located in the Santa Fe downtown historic district two blocks east of the revitalized Railyard district in a renovated historic building. The historic building was once home to the Ortiz community grocery store in the 1940’s as well as hosting the Mayor’s office in the second story portion of the building during the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Obscura Gallery shares the newly renovated space with Brant Mackley Gallery which specializes in exceptional antique North America Indian, Oceanic, Asian, and African art and the two offer their audience a unique Santa Fe gallery experience.
For more information on Obscura Gallery contact Jennifer Schlesinger at:
505-577-6708
Image credits: (top) ALINE SMITHSON, Geisha, 2017, 15.5 x 13.5”, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15. (middle) COCO FRONSAC, Dionaea Muscipulae et le ruban jaune, 2016, mixed media on vintage photograph, 5.5×4”, edition of 1. (bottom) SUSAN BURNSTINE, Crossing West, 2018, 16×16”, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15.