Andrew B. Myers’s photographs have a sense of order that makes them strangely satisfying to look at. In his studio, Myers arranges mundane objects on bright backgrounds, creating repeating, grid-like patterns. We see the items for their formal qualities, not their individual significance. Toys, electronics, sumptuous fruits, and sugary deserts become colorful specks whose shapes and colors matter more than their functionality. While some of Myers’s works look almost too neat to be real — like they could be digital illustrations instead of photos of actual objects — in certain pieces, he strategically reveals elements of his process. A leg of his tripod or duct tape Xs on the floor make their way into some photos, revealing the human touch behind these immaculate arrangements.
The aspects of William Mortensen’s photography that were controversial during his lifetime—clever manipulation of imagery and dark themes—are now considered to be marks of his greatness. In the show "Witches" at Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick, Stephen Romano Gallery offers both unseen work and iconic meditations on the occult from his output in the 1920s and ’30s. The exhibition runs August 3 through November 3 at the venue in Cleveland, Ohio.
Photographing porcelain figures the moment they hit the ground, Martin Klimas injects a sense of motion and chaos into an otherwise stationary object. The artist has taken a similar approach to photographing a moment of impact with bullets zipping through vases. For the figures, Klimas says that “the porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn't what really captures the attention; the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that seems to stop/pause the time and make time visible itself.”