– Efrain Villa, Santafean Magazine, June/July issue.
SantaFean Magazine Spotlight on Coco Fronsac
– Efrain Villa, Santafean Magazine, June/July issue.
– Efrain Villa, Santafean Magazine, June/July issue.
August in Santa Fe
Please join us Saturday, August 11, 4-7pm as we celebrate the Indian Market festivities taking place the entire month of August in Santa Fe. Obscura Gallery will have a selection of 19th-21st Century photographs of the Southwest on display alongside the Brant Mackley Gallery exhibition ‘Animals in Native American Art’ at our gallery.
EDWARD CURTIS, Girl and Jar, San Ildefonso, NM, 1905, 15.5 x 11.5″, Photogravure on Holland Van Gelder paper from Portfolio 17. Plate 590.
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Pasatiempo Article on Our Inaugural Exhibition: Limelight
Albuquerque Journal Article on Our Grand Opening
Inaugural Exhibition
Susan Burnstine, Brigitte Carnochan, Coco Fronsac, Aline Smithson, Joyce Tenneson
Opening Reception: July 14, 2018, 4-7pm
Exhibition is on view through August 3, 2018
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. LIMELIGHT, celebrates five pioneering contemporary female artists each debuting brand new work or work never before exhibited in New Mexico. Included in the exhibition are Susan Burnstine, Brigitte Carnochan, Coco Fronsac, Aline Smithson, and Joyce Tenneson.
The exhibition is inspired by and celebrates the late New York Greenwich Village pioneering gallerist Helen Gee and her gallery, Limelight, 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. Gee’s memoir, Helen Gee: Limelight, a Greenwich Village Photography Gallery and Coffeehouse in the Fifties, was recently published by Aperture as an e-book and was originally published by University of New Mexico Press in 1997.
THE EXHIBITION:
SUSAN BURNSTINE, Crossing West, 2018, 16×16â€, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15.
We are debuting never-before exhibited, new, color work entitled Where Shadows Cease, 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 monochromatic lens of black and white, and this new work, incorporating color, brings a new sense of reality to her dreamlike visions.
BRIGITTE CARNOCHAN, Sunday Morning Roses, 2013, 16 x 20â€, platinum palladium, edition of 10.
Northern California artist Brigitte Carnochan is exhibiting still lifes from her garden in the platinum palladium process, imbuing 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, alluding to the poetic and inspired by literature.
COCO FRONSAC, Dionaea Muscipulae et le ruban jaune, 2016, mixed media on vintage photograph, 5.5×4â€, edition of 1.
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 mostly the Western indigenous world.
ALINE SMITHSON, Geisha, 2017, 15.5 x 13.5â€, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15.
We are 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.
JOYCE TENNESON, Apple Tree, 11.5 x 17â€, archival pigment ink print mounted to aluminum, edition of 20.
Obscura will also be exhibiting golden landscape images by Maine artist Joyce Tenneson. The Alchemy of Light series began in 2012 as a series in mixed media with gold leaf and result now in digital prints from the originals. The exhibition includes quiet, mood-evoking photographs of trees in her similar style and portrayal of ethereal, mystical portraiture in which she is so known for.
Susan Burnstine and Brigitte Carnochan will both be present at the opening reception.
This exhibition is presented as part of PhotoSummer. PhotoSummer 2018 is organized by CENTER, Axle Contemporary, and American Society of Media Photographers in Santa Fe. Showcasing the work of a diverse group of established and emerging artists whose work is strong in concept and in execution, this collaborative effort highlights New Mexico as a place where excellent photographic work is produced, taught, and exhibited, as well as where people from near and far gather around photography.
June 2018 Newsletter – Grand Opening!
Grand Opening Reception
June 22, 2018
Obscura Gallery and Brant Mackley Gallery are proud to invite you to our joint Grand Opening Reception and Celebration of our newly renovated shared gallery space at 1405 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 22, 2018 from 4-7pm.
Obscura Gallery represents fine art photography with a special interest in the finest contributions to the history of photography both through contemporary and vintage works. Brant Mackley Gallery specializes in exceptional antique North America Indian, Oceanic, Asian, and African art.
Located in the Santa Fe downtown historic district two blocks east of the revitalized Railyard district in a renovated historic building, the two business entities co-occupy the 3,000 square-foot location.
The Grand Opening Exhibition includes a specially curated selection of each Gallery’s inventory including works by Obscura’s represented artists and other select inventory.
Grand Opening
at Newly Renovated Gallery Space in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Grand Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 2018, 4-7pm
Obscura Gallery and Brant Mackley Gallery are proud to announce a joint Grand Opening Reception of their newly renovated shared gallery space at 1405 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 22, 2018. Located in the Santa Fe downtown historic district two blocks east of the revitalized Railyard district in a renovated historic building, the two business entities will co-occupy the 3,000 square-foot location. Obscura Gallery represents fine art photography with a special interest in contemporary approaches to the medium and vintage 19th-20th Century works. Brant Mackley Gallery specializes in exceptional antique North America Indian, Oceanic, Asian, and African art. The Grande Opening Exhibition will include a curated selection of each Gallery’s inventory.
The historically renovated building space shared by both galleries was built in 1932, and was home to the community grocery store called the Ortiz Food Store in the 1940’s. The second story addition of the building hosted the Mayor’s office during the Frank Ortiz mayoral term 1948-1952 while the grocery store continued below. The building also housed the Madayln photo studio in the 1970’s and most recently the Gold Leaf Framemakers in the 1990’s. Today the building was renovated as a commercial/residential occupancy and includes all new electric, plumbing, heating, and interior redesign while still keeping with the tradition of the adobe elements and historical qualities of the region.
Download the full Press Release PDF here:
Obscura Gallery_BMG Press Release
Spring 2018 Newsletter
In this newsletter, two new artists, Michael Massaia and Michael Berman, are proudly being announced along with a growing inventory of 19th and 20th century vintage prints available for sale. In addition, I am thrilled to announce that the renovations at 1405 Paseo de Peralta are nearing completion! Events will begin to occur in the coming months including a joint Obscura Gallery and Brant Mackley Gallery Grande Opening in June. Please “save-the-date” as my first photography exhibition will be on view the month of July with an opening reception on July 14 and includes five Obscura artists. Stay tuned for a more detailed announcement about these events following soon.
Santa Fe Workshop with Kurt Markus and Norman Mauskopf
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops Hosts a Workshop, ‘Classic Portraiture,’ with Two Santa Fe Obscura Gallery Artists, Kurt Markus and Norman Mauskopf.
March 4-9, 2018
Capturing the elusive “true likeness†of a person has always been a challenge—and often even a high calling—for photographers since the medium’s invention. Norman Mauskopf and Kurt Markus have a combined 75-plus years of working knowledge and expertise, and together over a period of five days they help you expand your technical skills as well as develop your eye for creative portraiture.
Visit the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops website here for more information.
PHOTO FAIRS
We will be at the 2018 Classic Photographs LA fair this February.
Friday, February 2 | Opening Preview | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday, February 3 | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 4 | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Bergamot Station – Free Admission
Obscura Gallery
Suite G3, Booth 29
2525 Michigan Avenue
Santa Monica, 90404
www.classicphotographsla.com
Please visit the Classic Photographs LA website for more information.
Debbie Fleming Caffery receives High Museum of Art Commission
High Museum of Art Commissions Three New Photographers for “Picturing the South†Series
Southern-based photographers Mark Steinmetz, Debbie Fleming Caffery and Alex Harris to create new works for the High’s collectionÂ
First project in series to be unveiled in March 2018
The High Museum of Art has commissioned Mark Steinmetz, Debbie Fleming Caffery and Alex Harris for the Museum’s “Picturing the South†photography series. Established in 1996, this distinctive initiative supports established and emerging photographers in creating new bodies of work inspired by the American South for the Museum’s collection, which is the largest and most significant public repository of the region’s contributions to photography. Past participants in “Picturing the South†include Abelardo Morell, Martin Parr, Kael Alford, Richard Misrach, Sally Mann, Dawoud Bey, Emmet Gowin, Alex Webb and Alec Soth.
“For the first time since we launched this initiative, each of the selected photographers is based in the South. They bring an important perspective to their projects that is rooted in personal experience and deep connections to the culture and landscape,†said Rand Suffolk, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director. “As one of the first American art museums to collect photography, the High has a longstanding commitment to the medium. These commissions extend our dedication to photography and our focus on celebrating the rich artistic legacy of the region by providing a platform for Southern artists to push the boundaries of their practice.â€
“Each of these accomplished mid-career photographers brings a distinctive aesthetic and point of view to the series,†said Gregory Harris, the High’s assistant curator of photography. “We are excited by the work they are creating and look forward to bringing their photographs into our collection.â€
……Caffery’s portraits and landscapes capture struggling agricultural communities in rural northern Louisiana and western Mississippi. Once thriving hubs for agriculture and river trade, these crumbling communities now experience high rates of unemployment, inadequate healthcare and a lack of important social services. According to Caffery, “Bustling main street highways that once ran through the centers of these towns have moved and left behind shuttered businesses and empty, deteriorating buildings. Many young people have moved on. In my photographs, based on numerous years of fieldwork, I look beneath the surface at the people who live in these places that have been partially abandoned. In the midst of burned-out houses and deserted store fronts, many of my photographs peer into the spaces where people who remain gather.†Caffery is based in Lafayette, La., and regularly exhibits her work in museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe…….
About Debbie Fleming Caffery
Caffery (American, born 1948) grew up in rural southern Louisiana in the heart of sugarcane country. While a student at the San Francisco Art Institute, she began a lifelong project documenting African-American workers in sugarcane fields and mills as well as their landscapes. In 1995, she began photographing in rural Mexico. That work led to a lengthy project documenting brothels, for which she received a 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2006, Caffery received a Katrina Media Fellowship from the George Soros Foundation for her project titled “Portrait of Neglect: Injustices of Hurricane Katrina.â€Â In addition, she is the recipient of a Lou Stoumen mid-career grant from the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, and the Louisiana Endowment of Humanities’ Michael P. Smith Award. Her work is included in numerous collections, including those of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France.
About “Picturing the Southâ€
The High began its “Picturing the South†initiative in 1996 both to provide a contemporary perspective on Southern subjects and themes and to build its collection of contemporary photography. The commissions have benefited the Museum as well as the artists — Sally Mann’s commission in 1996, for instance, helped support her shift to landscape work and resulted in the first photographs in her “Motherland†series. The other commissions range from Dawoud Bey’s over-life-size portraits of Atlanta high school students to Emmet Gowin’s aerial photographs of aeration ponds and paper mills. Photographer Alex Webb captured the drama of Atlanta’s street life and nightlife, and Richard Misrach used a view camera to reveal the beauty and pathos of Mississippi River landscapes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, an area known as “Cancer Alley.†In the most recent commission, Abelardo Morell focused on representing trees — an iconic subject that has captivated artists throughout the history of photography — in playfully unusual and imaginative ways. He traveled to state parks and wildlife refuges in Georgia and Tennessee to capture the images, 15 of which were featured in the High’s presentation of the 2014 exhibition “Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door.â€
POP-UP EXHIBITION DURING CENTER SANTA FE PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL
Pop-Up Exhibition During The Center Santa Fe Photo Festival
Reception:Â Sunday, October 29, 1-4pm
In celebration of the Center – Review Santa Fe Photo Festival, we are pleased to have on display a group exhibition of our represented artists with an opening reception on Sunday, October 29, 2017 from 1-4pm.
The exhibition includes work by Obscura Gallery artists:
William Albert Allard
Susan Burnstine
Angie Brockey
Debbie Fleming Caffery
Brigitte Carnochan
Manuel Carrillo
Cy DeCosse
Neil Folberg
Coco Fronsac
Louviere + Vanessa
Kurt Markus
Norman Mauskopf
Beth Moon
Caitlyn Soldan
Aline Smithson
Keith Taylor
Curtis Wehrfritz
Krzysztof Wladyka
RSVP recommended: Please call 505-577-6708 or email [email protected] for more information on the location, or to schedule an appointment outside of the opening reception hours.
**Please note this exhibition is being held as a pop-up exhibition at a location other than our primary location which is being renovated.
Installation image from pop-up exhibition. From left to right: Keith Taylor, Krzysztof Wladyka, Cy DeCosse, Beth Moon
Left: Caitlyn Soldan ; Right: Aline Smithson
