Susan Gans
January 2 – February 1
First Thursday: January 9, 5 – 8pm
(please be advised the gallery will open at 2pm on January 9th, please contact director@gallery110.com for an earlier appointment)
Reception: January 17, 5-7pm
The work seen here is a brief visual commentary that refers mostly to urban landscapes. This project, tracking changes and the “New Topography”, began in earnest at the beginning of the last decade. It seemed timely given the warnings that cities were due to be reshaped to accommodate an economy that supports the technological age, meaning that infrastructures were going to be rebuilt so that cities could experience the population growth necessary to keep this new world order humming.
I began a habit of persistent walking and documenting buildings, neighborhoods and construction sites as an urban Street Photographer. Have always been interested in the decisions made that argue against keeping an existing sense of place in favor of creating more density. Am concerned about gentrification that results in shifting or losing the cultural foundation of a neighborhood. I am also interested in bringing to the forefront clues about anonymous people seen and how they move in impersonal spaces or through a concrete, steel and glass landscape. The urban environment often is hard edge and stark.
The photographs are mostly from Seattle. Some were seen in prior exhibitions at Gallery 110 or in other area shows. Others have never been seen in Seattle.
I make unique prints or small editions of 5. I am not interested in mass production. All this work is printed with pigment ink on rag papers meaning it should last beyond most of our lifetimes if kept out of intense light. These images, although quasi-documentary and interpretive, are fine art and not so different than prints made using photographic techniques part of the printmaker’s edition… like a photo etching or gravure. Both require planning and decisions about composition as well as technical skill. Yes, photos are everywhere and everyone seems to be taking them. Intent and process though give meaning to the work and that is the clue.
Susan Gans
January 2020