The Lines and The Andean Desert Survey will feature 17 photographs taken in Peru, where Ranney began photographing over 50 years ago. Included will be selections from his recently published book, “The Lines,” which depict markings in the Peruvian desert made by the ancient Nazcas, a relatively small culture that flourished on Peru’s southern coast from around the beginning of the Christian era until 600 AD. The purpose and meanings of these ancient geoglyphs, made by clearing the surface of the desert floor, or by creating paths of stones, remain mysterious and open to different interpretations by scholars.
The spare and succinct compositions of Ranney’s photographs convey what Ranney refers to as the “palpable emptiness” of the desert. They suggest and relate visually to the earthworks and land art made by American artists such as Robert Smithson in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Deborah Bell Photographs
16 East 71st Street, Suite 1D, 4th Floor, New York,10021 USA
September 13, 2017 to November 04, 2017
