Unveiled: Work by Julia Burton | Curated by Kevin J. Foltz

Exhibit dates: September 21 – October 27, 2018

Opening reception: September 21, 2018, 5PM

Location: Gallery 1056 

We are excited to present Gallery 1056: Unveiled featuring work by our resident artist Julia Burton curated by Kevin J. Foltz.

Julia Burton’s work explores the internal conflict(s) of those who suffer from chronic mental illness. The subjects of Burton’s portraits are both volunteers and collaborators who choose to share their experiences with her. Together, the subject and the photographer create the artwork, using their words a to form a piece that explores the unique experiences related to their illness. 

Burton’s new work features larger-than-life grids composed of nearly identical silver-gelatin prints. The monumental size of the grids speaks to the impactful nature of mental illness on the lives those who are affected by it. In these portraits, fragmented subjects emerge from the chaos around them; parts of their distorted bodies and faces emerge from the turmoil. 

Many factors influence the final appearance of an image that has gone through the mordançage process, including chemical mixture, paper, exposure, and the strength of the veils.. The Mordançage process causes the emulsion of the silver gelatin print to lift away from the photo paper in a “veil”, permanently destroying and then transforming the original print. The veils are formed only in the dark values of the photograph, leaving the light values relatively untouched. 

The artist chose this process because of the unique, distinctive images it produces The final appearance of each image after the mordançage process is unique, one of a kind. This relates to the way in which each person experiences the same illness, or trauma differently.

View the press release here.

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