Tag: james welling

James Welling at David Zwirner Gallery

Double-takes are the norm at James Welling’s show of recent photographs at David Zwirner Gallery as the iconic West coast artist continues to make images that take time to understand.  In this photograph of rocks and the sea in Prouts Neck, Maine, printed in UV curable ink that adds to the images’ rich color, Welling recalls Winslow Homer’s and subsequently, John Marin’s paintings in this historic spot.  The ocean is placid in Welling’s rendering but the overlaid patches of color that he adds create a visual disturbance that mimics the crashing waves and stormy surf that Homer captured.  Interested in the patterning created as he cleaned off paint rollers on newspaper for another project, Welling started adding these ‘prints’ to his photos, altering areas of color to create complex images that emphasize the malleability of photography (On view in Chelsea through Feb 10th).

James Welling, Prouts Neck near Winslow Homer’s Studio, UV-curable ink on Dibond aluminum, 42 x 63 inches, 2015/2023.

James Welling in David Zwirner Gallery’s On-Line Viewing Room

Titled ‘Pathological Color,’ James Welling’s on-line exhibition of photography at David Zwirner Gallery assaults the senses with intense color contrasts generated by the artist’s experimental practice in Photoshop.  This detail of a photo by Welling from New York Art Tours’ archives features images of dancers layered with modernist buildings and landscapes, each suggesting performance on a different kind of stage.   Aiming to explore our perception of color, Welling draws on ‘pathologies’ described by Goethe, who considered the impact of particular colors on the senses.  For more images, including early examples of his technique, visit David Zwirner Gallery’s on-line Viewing Room.

James Welling, detail of 7809, inkjet print, 42 x 63 inches, 2015.

Sara Abbaspour in ‘Transcript’ at Yancey Richardson Gallery

Intimacy between people, whether between figures seen in quiet moments in public or this energetic engagement between a toddler and adult in a domestic setting, drives Sara Abbaspour’s probing, black and white photos.  A standout in Yancey Richardson Gallery’s show of 2019 Yale MFA Photography grads, curated by James Welling, Abbaspour explains that her aim is to treat physical locations as ‘mental space.’  (On view in Chelsea through August 23rd).

Sara Abbaspour, Untitled, archival pigment print, 26 5/8 x 35 1/8 inches, 2019.

James Welling at David Zwirner Gallery




Influential LA photographer James Welling merges photos of dancers, modernist architecture and landscapes in one of his most beautiful series to date. ‘Choreograph,’ currently on view at David Zwirner Gallery, derives its brilliant colors from intense Photoshop experimentation and its dynamism from the ghost-like images interacting on Welling’s unique stage. (In Chelsea through January 16th).

James Welling, 7809, inkjet print, 42 x 63 inches, 2015.