The days of dropping off a roll of Kodachrome at the drugstore seem lifetimes ago — photography’s gone digital with the rest of the world. British/Australian photographer Adam Fuss streamlines his image-making by losing the camera along with the film. His photograms, prints made by placing objects directly on photosensitive paper and exposing it to light, are a reinvention of a technique that goes back to the 1840s — a source of fascination for modernist luminaries like Pablo Picasso and Man Ray (who called them “rayographs”). Early photograms were monochromatic, often showing the blue tones of cyanotypes. But Fuss’ portraits of fleeting time — a snake’s passage through sand, a butterfly chrysalis — sparkle with color. This Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Fuss will talk about his brand of art photography and its place in the “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” on view at SAMA. The stunning international exhibit, which also features works by Laurie Anderson, Richard Avedon, and Christo, offers an eclectic mix of over 80 contemporary artists whose works examine the ideals of peace, empathy, and compassion in the post-9/11 world of fear and increasing globalization. Free, 6:30pm, 200 West Jones, (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. Exhibit on view through July 31.
Critic's Pick
Release Date: 2011-04-27
