"When it comes to practically everything, we seem to be of two minds." -- Hollis Frampton
A group of seven Phoenix-area photographers will show their latest work partially inspired by the work and writings of Hollis Frampton, an American avant-garde filmmaker, photographer and pioneer of digital arts.
The exhibition, called Practically Everything, takes inspiration from the quote above and the artist's ongoing informal discussions of Frampton's philosophy and the "paradoxical nature of photography."
An estimated 36 pieces of varying sizes from the seven photographers will be on view starting this Friday, July 20 at Modified Arts. According to the artists, these photographs aim to reflect the duality of photography as both trace and transformation that are able to simultaneously describe and alter a subject.
The majority of the exhibition includes inkjet prints, although some of the pieces will be scanned from 4x5 film and two will be silver gelatin prints.
As Phoenix-based photographer Bucky Miller explains, the exhibition came together around the similar conversations he had with several artists and friends. Miller, who curated the exhibition, says he's inspired by Frampton's writing Incisions in History/Segments of Eternity, a work he credits as being "the best thing ever written on photography."
"This exhibition is part of a discussion on photography," Miller says. "It is not the end result, nor the beginning, but a tiny fragment of an ongoing dialogue between myriad artists, curators, and writers. At its core is an engagement with the inherent paradox of the medium -the blurring of document and fabrication that is present in all photographic representation."
Michael McLeod, whose work is also featured in the exhibition, has been photographing Adult Video arcades for the past few years. He says his work "turns the tables on voyeurism" by examining the gap between the concrete surfaces of the arcades and the images that appear on the screens.
"The most interesting photographers seem to be grappling with not only the world in front of their lens but also with how photography might record and transform that world," he says. "All of the artists in Practically Everything seem to be dealing with these concerns but from wildly different perspectives."
McLeod's interest in a project is sparked with a wish to document or record something. "But what develops can't really be considered documentary," he says. "Rather, what evolves is my interpretation and elaboration of a space or an experience - filtered though all of my curiosities, experiences and maybe even hang-ups."
Other artists featured in the exhibition are Dana Buhl, Cory Fitzgerald, Michael Lundgren, Mike Williams, and Christian Widmer.
In addition to the Third Friday reception, there will be a First Friday reception of August 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. The gallery is also open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. You can find more information at the Modified Arts website.
