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Art exhibition featuring Susan Burnstine's photography.


 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Obscura Gallery is thrilled to present our 2021 Summer exhibition, Where Shadows Cease: Resonance of America’s Dream, with gallery artist Susan Burnstine. The prints in the exhibition include recent additions to Burnstine’s ongoing color series captured on self-made cameras, which explore the connections between the personal and collective unconscious during an unparalleled period in America. By infusing common dream themes and symbols found within the familiar, Susan Burnstine has observed commonly shared memories and universal representations found at places connected to the ethos of the “American Dream,†which reflect the collective hopes, fears and aspirations found in the social topography of America. Through revisiting iconic locations and landscapes across the United States she has explored corridors of this land through visual metaphor and symbolism as a means to uncover the hidden uniformities that reside within the nations’ collective unconscious in the present era.

The exhibition coincides with Susan’s workshop at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and the artist reception will take place at Obscura Gallery on Thursday, July 29, from 5-7pm.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

VIEW THE IMAGES FROM THE SERIES HERE.

 

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Exhibition poster for Ernest Knee's photographs.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

We are thrilled to share an exhibition of vintage photographs by Ernest Knee, a well-known photographer and cultural figure who lived in Santa Fe in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Knee is best known for his images of northern New Mexico and other southwestern cultural landscapes, Native American dances, and many other profound Southwest locations which reveal a remarkable visual record of the Southwest between 1930-40, comprised into two books: Santa Fe, N.M. (1942, Hastings House) and Ernest Knee in New Mexico (2005, Museum of New Mexico Press). Also included in the exhibition will be a selection of photographs from Mexico of which were published in his book, Mexico – Laredo to Guadalajara (1951, Hastings House).

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PRINTS IN THE EXHIBITION

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE

 

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Black and white dunes photograph by Kurt Markus.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Obscura Gallery launches our 2021 season with a solo exhibition of Kurt Markus’s dune forms photographed in Namibia, Africa, home to the largest sand dunes in the world. These images celebrate the meditative beauty found in these sensual shapes and forms created by the winds and natural forces ever-changing this unique landscape set within the coastal desert of Namibia. This is Kurt’s second solo show at Obscura Gallery focusing on his personal work in the landscape, the first being an exhibition of Monument Valley landscapes in 2018. Markus approaches this landscape with the same respect and admiration, demonstrating his attunement with the natural world as one would be when impacted on a spiritual level. Many of the images included in the exhibition were taken at Sossusvlei, in the southern part of the Namib Desert, which is a salt and clay ‘pan’ surrounded by sand dunes uniquely red in color and which are 5 million years old.

VIEW THE ENTIRE EXHIBITION HERE.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

 

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Exhibition flyer for Hugo Brehmes photography.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. HUGO BREHME, Cuernavaca, Mexico, c. 1920, 13.25 x 10.5″, gelatin silver print.

Obscura Gallery is excited to debut a solo exhibition by Hugo Brehme, one of the earliest Modern photographers working in Mexico in the early 20th Century. This photographic exhibition will include photographs and postcards focused on iconic Mexican subjects from that time period including scenic landscapes, colonial architecture, and the everyday life of indigenous peoples. Complementing the work of Hugo Brehme, we will also have a small selection of work by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, a prominent Modern Mexican photographer heavily influenced by Brehme, as well as Mexican photographer Manuel Carrillo who resonated his predecessor in the beauty and authenticity of photographing his culture in the mid to later part of the 20th Century.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. HUGO BREHME, Amecameca, Mexico, c. 1920’s, 13 x 10.25″, gelatin silver print.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.


VIEW THE ENTIRE EXHIBITION ON OUR ARTSY PAGE HERE.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

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A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Holiday Edition 2020 offers a seasonally curated selection of work for sale, showcasing what our artists have been making during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, a sneak peak to upcoming shows in 2021, as well as sharing some fantastic vintage and contemporary photographs we’ve added to our inventory. Click here to read the announcement that includes an in-depth description of the Holiday Edition 2020.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
ALINE SMITHSON, Still Life Altered, from Fugue States, 2020, Archival pigment ink print, 16 x 16″, edition of 8.

 

We are offering a fifteen percent discount and free shipping on any purchases made from this special Holiday 2020 Edition through December 31, 2020. Just use the code HOLIDAY2020 at the checkout on our website. For the works that have a price on request, please inquire with us at here for more information.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IN DEPTH DETAILS ABOUT OUR HOLIDAY EDITION.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE WORKS IN OUR HOLIDAY EDITION 2020.

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Cowboy saddling a wild horse illustration.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

 

The exhibition features a selection of photographs from Obscura Gallery’s contemporary photographers William Albert Allard and his legendary Vanishing Breed cowboy book; Kurt Markus’s poignant cowboy photographs from his three volumes of cowboy books including the seminal After Barbered Wire; selections from Joan Myers’ recently published Where the Buffalo Roamed – photographs of the ‘new’ West; and Manuello Paganelli’s photographs of African American cowboys in the West. In addition, the exhibition will include photographs by legendary 19th Century ranching photographer Laton Alton (LA) Huffman from Montana, as well as images from one of the first female ranching photographers, Elsa Spear Edwards Byron. In addition, Brant Mackley Gallery will be exhibiting a selection of Navajo saddle blankets and Northern Plains Indian beadwork from the late 19th through early 20th Century as well as other related material.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
View the exhibition in its entirety on our Artsy page by clicking here.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

 

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Woman posing confidently in stylish outfit.


DOUGLAS MILES  – LA VIE EN RES
A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

An online exhibition of photography-based media by Douglas Miles, whose work is rooted in Apache history and deeply engaged with the world of contemporary pop culture.

August 13 – September 7, 2020

We are thrilled to present an online exhibition with the photographic work of San Carlos Apache-Akimel O’odham artist Douglas Miles whose artistic work is rooted in Apache history and deeply engaged with the world of contemporary pop culture. Douglas Miles (b. 1963) is a multi-faceted artist working as a designer, filmmaker, muralist and photographer who blends Native history with political resistance. His work encourages reflection on how art can foster community-building and promote pride and well-being, especially among young Native people. The photographs in this online exhibition include portraits of Miles’ community of family and friends taken in San Carlos, Arizona, as well as the places Miles has traveled with his Apache Skateboards team in Utah, Navajo Nation, Los Angeles, Phoenix, AZ and other locations. The exhibition also includes images from the The Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Phoenix, Arizona in June and July of 2020.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
DOUGLAS MILES, Bonnie Skates, 2020, 13 x 19″, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15.

In coordination with what would have been the busiest month in Santa Fe known worldwide for the celebration of Native American art markets all throughout our city, we had been planning an exhibition of the exciting work of Miles for nearly a year. We had to change our exhibition plan and schedule several times to accommodate the sporadic nature of the Covid pandemic. We hope you will enjoy Douglas’ online exhibition, and when the time is right again, we will be honored to have Miles’ work grace the walls of our gallery.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
DOUGLAS MILES, Bex Paints in the Night, 2019-2020, 13 x 19″, edition of 15.

With themes that cover tradition as well as modernity, a major focus in Douglas Miles’ artistic work is on Apache warriors, dancers and musicians. Through these images, he hopes to instill a sense of pride and empowerment in his subjects. Miles sometimes adds the names of important chiefs and warriors to his work in the style of street art, be it hand-cut stencils, murals or graffiti.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
DOUGLAS MILES, Faceless Kimono 2019-2020, 13 x 19â€, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15

The warrior is an important image in Apache history and their greatness is at times forgotten, even amongst the Apache. I hope to reignite the strength, endurance, leadership and tenacity of the warriors of the past thru art, education and political awareness in all communities. – Douglas Miles


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
DOUGLAS MILES, Breeze Graffiti, 2019-2020, 13 x 19â€, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15

Miles developed and founded Apache Skateboards in 2002, a program designed to support the athleticism of skateboarding that emulates the strength, endurance and tenacity of warriors. Since its original inception, the program has expanded to include the arts, education, political awareness and empowerment by connecting mainstream skateboard culture with contemporary Native life. Many of the skateboard designs depict Apache warriors and the youth of the San Carlos Apache reservation on skateboard decks.

The skate team is comprised of women and men so you’ll see them [in the photos] as well.. I’m not an action sports photographer, mainly portraits. My skate team is probably the most innovative group I’ve ever worked with. They’ve used skateboarding as a way to build community and created excitement in Native Youth across Indian Country. – Douglas Miles

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
DOUGLAS MILES, Off the Reservation 2019-2020, 13 x 19â€, archival pigment ink print, edition of 15.

Of his photography he says,  I’m in love with the people , the faces, the times and the spirit they convey in each face.… I marry social media platforms and graphics with my photos and other borrowed imagery adding and layering the meanings and messages I want. To use social media the way it’s intended you have to see the world around you as a quick communication platform . Maybe I reclaimed some space but really just not sure if that’s what I’m really doing. I don’t feel I’m reclaiming anything at times . I’m really making my own space in my own image in my own time for my own people. It’s needed. Lack or representation plagues Native people. These photos punch up into those systemic barriers that keep us out of a larger cultural conversation. It’s about time.

Miles enjoys collaboration with other artists in almost all forms of his work and has worked with such artists as actor and author Ethan Hawke and artist Greg Ruth on a New York Times bestseller graphic novel, Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars. He’s also collaborated with actress and artist LivÃndrea Knoki on a selection of pieces with text and image in this exhibition including the Yves Saint Le Res and the Your Song pieces.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

VIEW THE ENTIRE ONLINE EXHIBITION HERE.

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Red streamers hanging against a blue background.


EXTINCTION PARTY
By Jonathan Blaustein

July 24 – August 29, 2020

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. JONATHAN BLAUSTEIN, Red streamers and blue plastic tablecloth, 2017, from the Party City is the Devil series

Obscura Gallery is excited to present an exhibition of works from the timely publication of Taos artist Jonathan Blaustein’s photographic book, Extinction Party, published by Yoffy Press. This photographic book explores humanity’s over-consumption and its impact on the planet. Exhibition viewing is available with Covid-safe guidelines including a mask required, 6-feet distance, and a limited capacity at any one-given time.

“Deceptively brilliant in their minimalism, these elemental images bear witness to the waste and inhumanity of an earth catastrophically out of balance. Welcome to our world. Let’s party!” -Excerpt from the introduction essay for Extinction Party by Kevin Kwan (Author, Crazy Rich Asians.

Since 2008, at the onset of the Great Recession, photographer and conceptual artist Jonathan Blaustein has been working on art projects that investigate consumption in America, and he brings them together in one narrative in this first book, Extinction Party. In an unprecedented time of the Covid-19 pandemic, Extinction Party was (coincidentally and perhaps appropriately) released in March 2020. The images and their titles, the forward essay by Kevin Kwan, and the metaphorical story in between, the book could not be a more timely commentary on the state of our Earth and humanity.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. JONATHAN BLAUSTEIN. One dollar’s worth of tomatillos from Mexico, 2008, From Value of a Dollar series.

As the world grapples with the impact of climate change in the 21st Century, Blaustein’s art presents a deconstructed view of the manner in which humans churn up the planet’s resources for profit. This book culminates several bodies of work by the artist whether capturing the value of what we eat, economically and to some degree nutritionally, in a collection called The Value of a Dollar; nature harvested on his property outside Taos, NM in a series entitled, Mine; years worth of accumulated junk in his former studio titled Recycling My Junk, or party supplies from the megacorporation Party City appropriately titled Party City is the Devil, the consistent message is that we’re eating away at our home planet, at considerable peril to all its existing species.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. JONATHAN BLAUSTEIN. Don’t worry everything is going to be ok, 2013, From the Recycling my Junk series.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE

VIEW THE ENTIRE ONLINE EXHIBITION HERE.

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A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Join us for our first Obscura Gallery online auction! #StayAtHome is inspired by our current worldwide mandate and is raising money to help our artists and surrounding community in this challenging time.

The #StayAtHome auction began Wednesday, April 22, 2020 and continues weekly through June 1, 2020. We will add a new round of available work each week including vintage and contemporary work.

More than half of the proceeds from each contemporary sale go directly to the artist. In addition, Obscura Gallery will donate a portion of our proceeds from each auction round to benefit a chosen organization that is helping the relief efforts for Covid-19, so far having donated to The Pueblo Relief Fund and Native American Relief Fund.

Please see detailed bidding instructions here.

Sign up for our email newsletter here to stay informed.

Support Art, Support Artists!

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Art exhibit poster featuring desert landscapes.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Desertscapes : Altered Views of New Mexico is a solo exhibition with Santa Fe photo-based artist Caitlyn Soldan which explores various approaches to iconic views in New Mexico landscapes. Included in the exhibit are variations of Pedernal Mesa, Shiprock, and the Taos Gorge. Just as Pedernal Mesa was a great inspiration to Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings and served as a major muse for her at Ghost Ranch where she had her studio, Caitlyn too is moved by the unique New Mexico desert land.  Soldan creates landscape studies in various photographic processes that yield unique one-of-a-kind prints which each represent the different emotional qualities in nature. By virtue of repetition with the subject matter, the artist seeks to honor the subject which inspires and motivates her.

This exhibition has been extended through the end of June 2020

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
CAITLYN SOLDAN, Cerro Pedernal #19, 2019, 16×20″, mordancage, unique.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
CAITLYN SOLDAN, Rio Grande Gorge Study #6, 2019, 8×10″, mordancage, unique.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

VIEW MORE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION HERE.

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Exhibition poster for Paul Caponigro's retrospective.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

Obscura Gallery is honored to present, Paul Caponigro: Sixty Years, a solo retrospective exhibition of landscapes and still lifes by one of the world’s most significant master photographers still working today. The nearly 50 black and white images in the exhibition include work from as early as 1958 and encompasses his extensive career photographing in the Southwest, California, and New England, as well as Ireland and England. Working directly with the artist himself to curate the exhibition, the show includes an incredible selection of Paul’s most iconic images as well as images that have rarely before been exhibited. We invite you to join us in welcoming Paul back to Santa Fe for the opening!


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. PAUL CAPONIGRO, Galaxy Apple, New York City, 1964, 7.25 x 8.5″, gelatin silver print


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. PAUL CAPONIGRO, Apple, Winthrop, MA, 1964, 6.75 x 8.5″


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench. PAUL CAPONIGRO, Fungus, Ipswich, MA, 1960, 13.25 x 10.5″, gelatin silver print.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
PAUL CAPONIGRO, Cloud, San Sebastian, Santa Fe, NM, 1980, 13.5 x 10.5″, gelatin silver print.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

VIEW PAUL CAPONIGRO’S WORK HERE.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

 

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

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Art exhibition list at Obscura Gallery.


A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.
Public Opening Reception: Friday, November 22, 2019, 5-7pm
Exhibition is on view through January 4, 2020

Obscura Gallery presents our highly anticipated Holiday Season exhibition, One-of-a-Kind, a group show of photo-based artworks found exclusively at our gallery. The exhibition consists of 30 artists from the U.S., France, Cuba and Israel including those represented with Obscura as well as guest artists who were invited to participate. The concept for this exhibition is nearly two years in the making – each artist was asked to create a unique photo-based artwork, or create a new print edition, of which either would be on exhibition and exclusively available only at Obscura Gallery. We hope you’ll join us for this exciting exhibition and find something you love for yourself or your loved ones this Holiday season, knowing it will be a unique piece only found at Obscura Gallery!

Download the Full Press Release Here

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.

A woman and man sitting on the ground in front of a bench.