Colby Bird "Double Acting Hinge"
Fitzroy Gallery
This event has ended.
Fitzroy Gallery presents Colby Bird's first solo exhibition at the gallery, Double Acting Hinge. The title is the name of hardware often referred to as a "saloon hinge" that allows a door to be opened in both directions. The door itself therefore makes no distinction between "in" or "out"; this delineation is made solely by the objects, place, or structures on either side.
Upstairs, Bird is presenting 14 photographic works. In a departure from his usual mode of shooting, the majority of these photos were taken outside the home or studio, in locations such as Croatia, Florida and Texas. The photographs maintain their characteristic tension between interior and exterior spaces, often with mediating or dividing structures such as doors, windows, or natural thresholds.
The stilted nature of the images serves to force the viewer to consider the creation of the photograph, and to place the focus not only on the photo itself but also the photographer, and the space beyond the plane of the photo.
The disparate camera formats utilized (4x5, 110, 6x7) are evident in the stark contrast in grain quality from photo to photo. Enlarged to exhibition size prints, photos taken on a Kodak 110 camera take on an expressionist look, while the photos executed in larger formats appear almost as windows, with little to no discernible grain.
Downstairs, Bird presents new sculpture, which is purposefully removed from his photographic works. This separate installation lends a hobby-room or home studio tone, and serves to accentuate the raw, labored qualities of these sculptures. The works are physically and thematically removed from the delicate technical expertise of the photos, and the pristine woodwork of their frames.
Media
Schedule
from March 16, 2012 to May 05, 2012
Opening Reception on 2012-03-16 from 18:00 to 20:00