American Christopher Rauschenberg is one of the heroes of contemporary photography. He is first and foremost a first-class artist, represented by the estimable Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, Oregon where he lives with his wife, Janet Stein. Stein is mentioned here because she is also a seemingly indefatigable second pair of eyes for Chris. Rauschenberg is the most generous fellow around, looking at any and every portfolio at the many reviews he attends. In Portland, he was one of the founders of The Blue Sky Gallery, a terrific not-for-profit space in The Pearl District.
Blue Sky celebrated this summer a total eclipse of the sun in the US with a special exhibition, The Eclipse Show, curated by Mr. Rauschenberg. The basis for the show is, in many respects, “magical heart stopping images of people in which you do not see their eyes”, which is the working description of The Unseen Eye’s collection, highlights of which were exhibited at Blue Sky almost exactly five years ago.
For The Eclipse Show, Rauschenberg has gathered over hundred images. Appropriate to The Blue Sky mission, the show is wildly democratic with works that are mostly recent, but not all (Robert Frank, Russell Lee, John Baldessari) with familiar names (Matt Eich, Laurie Lambrecht, Adrain Chesser, Rocio de Alba, Vincent Cianni) and many new ones. In fact much of the contemporary work is for sale and reasonably priced. The installation fills the primary gallery space, with mostly unframed work, using magnets; it feels light and loose.
Artists represented by two or three works tend to be the most memorable. The Eye was partially engaged by Adam Ekberg (Shadow and Eye, 2010), Carol Isaak (Janus, 2017) and Jason Larkin with his memorable timed series of people standing alone in shadow. The Eye was particularly drawn to the simple appeal of Craig Hickman’s Eye Parking Lot During 1979 Solar Eclipse, 1979.
Romain Blanquart’s Untitled, from the series “The Tyranny of Hope”, 2008 2014 held place of honor in the front window, representative of the good humor running through the show. Bill Fingers’ Eclipse I,II and II, 2017 was the most literal interpretation of the subject.
Rauschenberg writes “If you picture a photographer at work, you are likely to picture them moving side to side while looking through the camera—trying out various compositions with various combinations of foreground objects eclipsing the background ones. ‘Eclipsing’ is a primary aspect of photography but it’s not part of people’s understanding of the medium. If you don’t notice something unless it makes the sun go dark in the daytime, maybe you’re really not paying attention as much as you might.”
The choices and installation are playful and pleasurable. The curator again: “If this exhibition tempts you into occasionally closing one eye and playing with lining things up and eclipsing, then I’m happy. The world is, among other things, a visual playground and play is always important work.”
W.M. Hunt
W.M. Hunt writes as The Unseen Eye. He is an occasional contributor and an original supporter of L’Œil de la Photographie. The show is now closed but can be seen online at http://www.blueskygallery.org/exhibition/ eclipse-group-show/
The Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209
USA
