It’s the last week to visit Cathleen Naundorf’s exhibition at Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York. The gallery displays a selection of works from several of the German artist’s series including Un rêve de mode and L’Arche de Noé.
Drawing from a range of influences, including her background in painting, travel, photojournalism, and fashion photography, in addition to her longstanding mentorship with photographer Horst P. Horst, Naundorf photographs one of a kind couture fashions positioned within rich otherworldly scenes that the artist carefully constructs. Naundorf works primarily in large format polaroid film, a tool which demonstrates her connection to the fashion world; however, she does not use the film as a quick study tool, but instead embraces the saturated color and unique textures of the medium for her finished works. Using her own unique development process, Naundorf manipulates the inherent textures and color variations found in each photograph to further enhance the painterly atmosphere and surface quality of her prints.
Naundorf developed a keen interest for the beauty and hand-made craft of the exotic early in her career during her time photographing the native cultures of Mongolia, Siberia and the Amazon, and these themes continue to be prevalent in the artist’s current practice. As seen in the use of her elaborate sets, the intricate haute-couture designs of fashion houses such as Dior, Elie Saab, Philip Treacy, and Valentino, and even the artist’s own analog large-format camera, Naundorf’s photographs continually reference an esteem for the antique and handmade. By combining the ethereal effect of her prints with the exquisite environments of her images, Naundorf’s work presents a surrealist world rich with intrigue that suggests the romantic aesthetic of a forgotten age.
EXHIBITION
Cathleen Naundorf
Last Week !
From January 14th to February 27th, 2016
Edwynn Houk Gallery
745 Fifth Avenue
New York NY 10151
United States
http://www.houkgallery.com
http://cathleennaundorf.com
