Last week “Sense of Place,” featuring the work of six contemporary photographers, opened at Cynthia-Reeves in NYC. The exhibition, which runs through August 20th, includes works that rely upon undisguised manipulation to further communicate the “essence” of the depicted places. These images seek to bring forth emotions – rather than merely convey objective documentation.
The six photographers (Johannes Brus, Luc Demers, Elke Morris, Jeffrey Stockbridge, Paul Taylor and Shuli Sade) focus on issues of presumed transparency, but the places addressed are diverse – ranging from the unique skylines of cities around the world to the intimate spaces of the domestic sphere.
A little about each 
photographers’ work on display at Cynthia-Reeves:
Johannes Brus exhibits large scale photographs, like “Vorholle,” a 4-panel piece that draws the viewer into a surreal world of fantasy. Brus’ photographs display his innovative and signature multi-layering negative printing process in which he uses chemical, coloring manipulation. (Image, left)
Luc Demers uses an acute control of light, offering an intimate look into domestic spaces. The photographer’s series “Darkened Rooms,” is commanding, portraying a fluid interaction between darkness and light.
Elke Morris’ selectively blurred and saturated images of buildings exude an effect of miniaturization in her “Domicile” series. Through printed large-scale, viewers feel as if they are looking at models. Morris enhances this toy-like nature with intense color – placing it at odds with her subject matter (image, below).
Shuli Sade used a video camera in shooting the top of a newly constructed tower in Tel Aviv every night for two consecutive summers. The artist kept the video camera’s tripod and angle in the same position, effectively recording the changes in environment over the 2 years, as the tower and its position within the video frame remained constant. She then created “Time Units,” a multi-panel work of frozen video stills printed on transparency and fused to plexi.
Jeffrey Stockbridge’s “Divine Lorraine” series examines the once luxurious hotel, exposing the subtle beauty of the building’s decay and capturing the mystery of abandoned places. By manipulating the depth of field with camera movements and a low f-stop to shift the focal plane, Stockbridge controls where the viewer focuses in his images (image, below).
Paul Taylor created his “Images of Turkey” series using turn-of-the-century photographic techniques to develop his glass plate negative and create his prints. This process has allowed the photographer to create a dialogue between his medium and subject, the ancient hillside town of Ortahisar, evoking a unique and distinct sense of age and history (image below).
Click here to read more about the exhibition and the photographers.
Click here for more photography exhibitions going on this summer in NYC.
New York Art Openings 