Physically Cultured © Dan Herrera
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The Uncertainly Principle © Dan Herrera |
Vaudeville
gum bichromate photographs by Dan Herrera
May 17 through July 13, 2013
A reception for the artist will be held Friday, May 17 from 6-9 PM.
Mr. Herrera will speak about his work during the reception.
Artist Statement
My work explores the story of a magical past, my boyhood love of creating dioramas, and using the aesthetic properties of the photographic print itself as a means to engage the viewer this mysterious narrative, at once futuristic and nostalgic.
To create each image, I construct and photograph miniature sets that I create out of found objects, and various other materials. I combine photographs of these carefully lighted sets with photographs of people and life-size props.
The final digital image is then sent through a series of laborious and anachronistic processes. The color information from the digital file is broken apart into color-separated negatives. I then reassemble the image layer-by-layer, using a combination of cyanotype and gum-bichromate printing. Slowly, the once perfect digital image now rematerializes as an imperfect one of a kind object. No two prints are identical, and each carries it’s own magic. Gum printing allows me the ability to make gestural effects in the final steps of development that enrich my exploration of distinctions between photographic realism and painterly illusion. This printing process is a crucial step that viscerally transforms the photographic object itself, intuitively connecting the time period of process to the time period of narrative.
By merging contemporary post-production techniques with the pictorial elegance and aesthetics of 19th century printing, I’m able to bring together the fascinating worlds of science fiction film narratives, within the scope of historically significant photographic printing methods.
About Mr. Herrera
Dan Herrera is a professional photographic artist / graphic artist with studio locations in Sacramento and New York City. This young artist wields an extensive vocabulary of photographic process that merges 19th century photography with contemporary digital imaging. Herrera’s award-winning work was recently featured in Volume IV of Diffusion Magazine: Unconventional photography. As an actively showing artist, his exhibition record includes shows in New York, Los Angeles, and numerous Bay Area venues including the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Herrera currently teaches art and design at American River College and The Art Institute of California, Sacramento - specializing in Alternative Process Photography, and Advanced Image Manipulation.
You may contact Mr. Herrera directly at danherrerastudio.com
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