California
Using huge, hand-built cameras, and printing directly from life onto photo paper, John Chiara creates unique sculptural images that are stunningly beautiful and surprisingly intimate.
John Chiara’s one-of-a-kind mural-size camera obscura prints are luscious, moody and magical. He builds his own giant cameras (one which is large enough for him to climb inside) so he can expose light directly onto large sheets of photo-sensitive paper to capture images without needing film to act as an intermediate negative. His photos offer up ordinary urban landscapes that seem like three dimensional sculptures infused with light flares and liquid color. Somehow—through his mix of the direct process, hand-cut photo paper, filters and chemicals—everything looks real but “charged” with heightened energy.
Each of the unique prints is a collector’s dream, and a generous new book from Aperture and Pier 24 offers perfect reproductions with stunning production values. In the book, Chiara takes you on a road trip through his beloved California and drives home the “magic in the ordinary” everywhere he looks. The oversize book includes several fold-out spreads to accommodate essential diptychs, and two illuminating essays provide added appreciation for Chiara’s process and creative vision. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year—a book that rewards repeated visits.
According to a recent article in The New York Times: “Virginia Heckert, a curator of photography at the Getty Museum, said photographers like Mr. Chiara were attracted to the idea of discovering the world through photography, rather than ‘just kind of encapsulating it.’ ” That’s a powerful statement that rings true, especially after talking with the artist himself.
I had the pleasure of talking with John Chiara when he was in Paris for a solo exhibition with Jackson Fine Art Gallery at Paris Photo in November 2017. Following is an edited version of our long, enthusiastic conversation.
—Jim Casper
I had the pleasure of talking with John Chiara when he was in Paris for a solo exhibition with Jackson Fine Art Gallery at Paris Photo in November 2017. Following is an edited version of our long, enthusiastic conversation.
—Jim Casper
