Quiet Spaces opening at SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Feb–Mar 2008

Frames Within Frames:
Abstractions of Dark and Light
on Alcatraz Island

Intense sunlight outside and deep, cold darkness inside form abstractions on the walls of the abandoned prison on Alcatraz Island. The interplay of shadow and brightness reveals uncanny details. Seen through layers of windows and bars, the remarkable beauty of the San Francisco Bay is decontextualized and distorted by the crumbling structures. The distance is obscured and the near view is inscrutable.

The urban photos of Andreas Feininger were one of my earliest influences. His graphic portrayals of architecture contain intricate detail and strong composition. Within the decaying buildings of Alcatraz, I found not only the geometry that Feininger saw in New York skyscrapers but also the natural quality accumulated by old structures everywhere.

Limited edition of 20 prints each.
Maximum image size: 20 inches in the longest dimension; 13–14 inches in the shortest dimension.
Materials: Pigmented ink prints on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper (all archival materials)