Photography in the Abstract, curated by Maureen Mahony

Doug Aitken
petrol, 2008
unleaded gasoline, battery acid, lighter fluid, exposed to the sun on c-print
48 x 60 inches

Walead Beshty
Two Sided Picture (YY), Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type C, December 14th 2006, Valencia, CA, 2008
color photographic paper
14 x 11 inches

Walead Beshty
Two Sided Picture (RR), Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type C, December 14th 2006, Valencia, CA, 2008
color photographic paper
14 x 11 inches

Margaret Bourke-White
Aerial of large booms of lumbar floating, Canada, 1937
gelatin silver print; printed c. 1937
13 7/16 x 10 inches

Harry Callahan
Alley, Chicago, 1948
gelatin silver print
8 3/16 x 6 inches, image
10 x 8 inches, paper

Roe Ethridge
Cliff in Montauk with Fish Net, 2008
C-print
40 1/2 X 31 1/2 inches
edition of 5

Roe Ethridge
Williamsburg Bridge, 2008
C-print
42 X 54 inches
edition of 5

Roe Ethridge
Volcom House, 2008
C-print
42 1/2 X 53 inches
edition of 5

Tamar Halpern
Fun time, 2008
C-print
40 x 30 inches

Tamar Halpern
Florida, 2008
C-print
40 x 30 inches

Sandra Hamburg
07.06.05 12:55am, 2007
black and white silver print
40 1/2 x 41 inches

Sandra Hamburg
12.03.02 1:40am, 2007
black and white silver print
40 1/2 x 41 inches

Robert Heinecken
Typographic Nude, 1965
vintage gelatin silver print
14 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches

Robert Heinecken
Studies, 1970 #32, 1970
silver gelatin contact print from magazine page
10 x 8 inches

Rainer Judd
Loosestrife, 2004
C-print laminated on Sintra
19 13/16 x 29 13/16 inches
edition of 10

André Kertész
January 26, 1980, 1980
SX-70 Polaroid
3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches

Christian Marclay
Untitled, 2004
photogram on C-print paper mounted on cintra board
19 7/8 x 23 7/8 inches

László Moholy-Nagy
Untitled, 1937-1946
Fujicolor crystal archive print
13 1/2 x 9 inches, image size
14 x 11 inches, paper size
edition of 10 + 1ARG; 2EP

László Moholy-Nagy
Untitled, 1939-1945
Fujicolor Crystal Archive print
9 x 13 1/2 inches, image size
11 x 14 inches, paper size
edition of 10 + 1ARG; 2EP

László Moholy-Nagy
Untitled, 1939-1946
Fujicolor crystal archive print
9 x 13 1/2 inches, image size
11 x 14 inches, paper size
edition of 10 + 1ARG; 2EP

Barbara Morgan
Crystalized Skyscraper, 1973
gelatin silver print
10 x 13 inches

Barbara Morgan
Pure Energy and Neurotic Man, 1940
gelatin silver print
11 x 14 inches

Mark Morrisroe
Untitled (Mark's Hand #2) large, c. 1988
hand-painted photogram
14 x 11 inches
unique

Peter Piller
Decoration and Munition 4, 2003
six C-prints
12 x 8 inches each; overall dimensions variable
edition of 6

Eileen Quinlan
Paper White on Red, 2007
UN-laminated chromogenic print mounted on Sintra
24 x 20 inches
edition of 5 + AP

Eileen Quinlan
Night Flight #44, 2008
UV-laminated chromogenic print mounted on Sintra
40 x 30 inches
edition of 5 + AP

Eileen Quinlan
Demystification #8, 2008
UN-laminated chromogenic print mounted on Sintra
24 x 20 inches
edition of 5 + AP

Gerhard Richter
Untitled (12.2.08), 2008
lacquer on photograph
7 1/4 x 5 inches

Gerhard Richter
Grauwald (11.2.08), 2008
lacquer on photograph
7 3/4 x 5 inches

Lucas Samaras
Untitled (Self Portrait), 6/16/90
Polaroid Polapan and Polacolor ER photograph
10 x 8 inches, paper
unique

Arthur Siegel
#7 Photogram, 1949
Vintage gelatin silver print
8 x 10 inches

Aaron Siskind
Chicago, 1948
gelatin silver print; printed c. 1955
16 x 13 3/8 inches

David Smith
Untitled (Upright Coral), ca. 1931-1932
gelatin silver print pasted on an envelope
6 x 3 5/8 inches, object size (including envelope)

Wolfgang Tillmans
Lighter 63, 2008
unique C-print
20 x 24 inches

Wolfgang Tillmans
Lighter 56, 2008
unique C-print
24 x 20 inches

Andy Warhol
Stitched Photo: After the Meal, c. 1976-1986
four stitched gelatin silver prints
27 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches

James Welling
51, 1984
inkjet print mounted to metal
30 x 40 inches, image
edition of 5

James Welling
47, 1984
inkjet print mounted to metal
30 x 40 inches, image
edition of 5

January 17 – March 07, 2009

Opening reception: Saturday January 24, 6–8 pm

Artist Talk: Curator's talk at 7 pm

Lora Reynolds Gallery is pleased to present Photography in the Abstract, curated by New York based, independent curator Maureen Mahony.

This group exhibition examines the difficulties in defining the term “abstraction” in photography. Because the most literal and common purpose of photography is to record the surrounding world, abstraction may seem antithetical. However, since the invention of photography, artists have employed the camera and the darkroom in ways that expand upon conventional picture taking. From close-cropping to photomontage, photogram, double exposure, the use of gels and lights, painting on images, soft focus, and beyond, artists have questioned the notion of perception and exact imitation, and used the medium itself as a source to explore abstraction.

Wolfgang Tillmans addresses questions of abstraction in photography directly by creating camera-less images in the darkroom. He has noted: “It’s always about the combination between the objective and abstract representations... For me, the abstract picture is already objective because it’s a concrete object and represents itself: the paper on which the picture is printed is for me an object, there is no separating the picture from that which carries it.”

This exhibition includes work from the 1930’s to the present - giving context to both historic and contemporary work that explores the potential for abstraction within the photographic language.

Artists include: Doug Aitken, Walead Beshty, Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Liz Deschenes, Roe Ethridge, Tamar Halpern, Sandra Hamburg, Robert Heinecken, Rainer Judd, André Kertész, Christian Marclay, László Moholy-Nagy, Barbara Morgan, Mark Morrisroe, Peter Piller, Eileen Quinlan, Gerhard Richter, Lucas Samaras, Arthur Siegel, Aaron Siskind, David Smith, Wolfgang Tillmans, Andy Warhol and James Welling

Maureen Mahony is an independent curator, private dealer and art consultant based in New York City. A graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York with a Master of Art History she worked with the Leo Castelli Gallery, NY for many years and currently assists artist Robert Therrien. She has organized numerous exhibitions nationally including Locating Drawing for Doug Lawing Gallery, Houston, Girlschool for Brenau University Galleries, Gainesville, GA and Suspended Narratives for Lora Reynolds Gallery in 2005.