For a short period of time my large-scale images from The Art Complex Museum solo summer exhibition will be on display at Rolly-Michaux Gallery of Boston. The gallery is located at 290 Dartmouth Street in the Vendome Building, between Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue, and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 5.
Shinto Shadows
Castle Reflection
I’m very happy to announce that The Art Complex Museum is acquiring Shinto Shadows and Castle Reflection for their permanent museum collection. This large scale photographs were taken in Kyoto Japan and were featured in a solo exhibition there during this past summer. For a short period of time both pieces, along with the other images from the museum show, will be on display at Rolly-Michaux Gallery located at 290 Dartmouth Street in Boston.
Inner city/beauty:
Having spent 6 years, 3 in Dorchester and 3 in Lower Roxbury, tutoring in the inner city of Boston, I’ve recently returned to the area with my focus on photography. There is an inherent beauty that lies dormant amongst the streets. Architecture barren with vast potential. Shadow and light plays across revealing creative life and potential. Unfortunately It’s dormant beauty is often covered up by fear.
This is a series of diptychs made with fujifilm instax wide film. I’ve been hauling around my instax 210 camera at times and taking shots along side with my other camera. At times these pictures are more exciting and moving then my other pictures. In this scenario this was definitely the case. The film provides a present-time nostalgia that worked well with the old bridge in Turner Falls Massachusetts.
Detail of “Blossoms on Roof”
I did an interview recently that came out in the Patriot Ledger today. Since it was a newsprint edition piece I’ve transcribed it here as in the end it provided me with more insight into the above image. The interview was done by Peggy Mullen.
How do you describe the difference between your photography and your visual art? I like to capture a few images that represent an idea that has a theme. I get the biggest joy from being able to install a big series of images in a gallery or a museum.
And the Art Complex exhibit is an example of this? Yes. When I was in Japan I read a lot of haiku, that very short Japanese verse, usually about nature, and I also got into writing it myself. A lot of the photographs emulate that.
At the exhibit, there’s a long list of words besides one of your images. Are the words yours, and did you intend for them to be displayed with the photo? You’ll see lofty words like “inspiration” and words like “cafe” at the bottom. I would go to the cafe and meet people and take photos and write about it. It’s a list of words that are key to putting together the show.
On your website there are a series of photos with words on the images. Are you saying that’s what you felt when you took the photo, or are you instructing the observer what to feel? I like the combination of words and pictures, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, why not express those words? I stuck some of those words into the images. The words are small, and it’s hard to see some of them. I want a person to step back, look at the image and then get up close and examine it and see what else might be hidden there.
A press release from the museum reads “One of Castagna’s favorite techniques is using shallow depth of field to create abstractions.” What does this mean? I think the best image that represents this is “Blossoms on Roof”. What I mean is one of the most creative things you can do with a camera is to determine its depth of field. If you have a good lens, you can decide if you want something sharp or blurred. There I wanted the roof sharp and blossoms blurred. You have opposites, one is man-made and another is natural. It’s a creative tool I use in a lot of my photography.
If I had my druthers, and since this is my blog, I do, I’d add this to my final answer: Nature soft and beautiful, man-made objects real and solid. The roof’s wave and undulating quality suggests a flow moving in and out of nature. Together they weave a complex and interconnected pattern of balance.
Below is an excerpt from an artist talk given at The Art Complex Museum on August 4, 2011
A picture is worth a thousand words. What does that phrase mean?
Up until recent times I thought that it meant words were unnecessary where and when pictures were involved. That the picture was enough. But if a picture is worth a thousand words why not express them?
Keeping an artist journal is one way of expressing the worth.
worth: the quality that makes something desirable, valuable or useful.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Thus far I’ve expressed about 100 words in my artist talk. That’s 1/10th of a picture.
There are 10 pictures in this show. Ten pictures are worth ten thousand words.
Art is expressing worth.
Art could be described as minimum matter with maximum thought.
Words and pictures have always intrigued me. In fact these pictures were inspired by haiku.
A picture is worth a haiku.
A picture is worth a few well chosen words.
You might think that this contradicts the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” However one could say that a haiku is a distillation of a thousand words. Between the lines and pauses of a haiku lie suspended these 1000 words, left out so that you can imagine them yourself.
Inspired by the small town of Terry Montana…
My idea for a photo project involves small towns. The type of small towns I like are described below.
Small town: not a ghost town as that’s empty with nothing to do. Not a tourist spot as that’s turned to replicate what it’s not. A small town is on the edge. There’s an authenticity as the town works for itself, services the locals and looks to make it. Unpretentious taverns, small cafes and local businesses. A latent nostalgia exists without being overplayed. Small towns are typically trapped between a “then” and a “future”. It’s a “now” on the edge.
Here are a couple of small town links:
Montana small towns blog: placesbetweenspaces
Small town music video by the Parson Red Heads: http://vimeo.com/26282747
Solo Exhibition: Robert Castagna
July 24 to October 2, 2011
Opening Reception: August 21 1:30 to 3:30
Art Complex Museum Robert Castagna
Art Complex Museum Robert Castagna
Yup, It’s almost time to hit the road. After driving all 50 states this trip will be a no-agenda road trip. No destination planned. In this way we get ultimate satisfaction in the going and not the getting. How much do we miss?
I know what you are thinking. A post entitled The Harvard Experiment should be about mice or some other typical science experiment. However this is about a photographic experiment. I was asked by the office of the president at Harvard to shoot for a holiday card. This was not this past year but the year before. I was looking for that iconic snow storm that just never seemed to come and when it did I wasn’t available to shoot. So I gave up the job. However I did have a chance to make a few treks through Harvard Yard. Over a year later I decide to take another cursory look at what I had. And to my astonishment I think I actually had something. Sometimes you need to look with fresh eyes and no preconceived notions. You tell me, should I have kept the job? I think I’ll make some cards out of what I got here and see…
Boston Art Life:
