6-31 Octobre 2014

6-31 Octobre 2014
There is more than what meets the eye in Matthew Albanese’s captivating photographs. From an erupting volcano to a sweeping tornado to the landing on the moon, nothing is
quite what it appears to be. Welcome to the extra-ordinary world of Matthew Albanese, where glaciers are not made of ice but of sugar, salt, egg whites, food coloring, flour
and, light. Albanese meticulously fabricates and then photographs small-scale models of complex panoramic vistas, such as wind-blown willows on stormy rivers and raging
forest fires, using humble materials including cotton batting, boiled sugar candy, sand, and feathers. By masterly manipulating the scale, depth of field, balance and lighting,
he alters the appearance of the materials to create dramatic and emotionally evocative landscapes.
Albanese was born in northern New Jersey in 1983 and spent a peripatetic childhood moving between New Jersey and upstate New York. He received his BFA in Photography
from the SUNY Purchase School of Art and Design in 2005, after which he worked as a fashion product photographer specializing in bags, shoes, and accessories. In 2008, a
spilled canister of paprika reminded him of the surface of the planet Mars, which inspired him to create his first miniature landscape. By manipulating the scale, lighting, depth
of field, and color balance in each image, Albanese, as the New York Times wrote in 2011, has become “adept at coaxing humble materials into looking like something else.”
Matthew Albanese’s work centers around the construction of meticulously detailed miniatures made from found objects and simple household materials, including spice and
food. Albanese often spends weeks searching for materials for his dioramas, including elements that aren’t intended to be permanent but, rather, deteriorate over time. While
some portions of his created environments are recycled in later compositions, many others are destroyed during the photographic process.
Albanese experiments with texture, color, and pattern, but most importantly with the way his materials react to light. While most aspects of these emotive landscapes are painstakingly preplanned, Albanese’s process always also includes a period of trial and error, during which he makes the small but crucial discoveries that transform his stage sets
into trompe l’oeil landscapes that possess an uncanny vividity. Albanese’s beautiful, often haunting images have been exhibited at the Museum of Art and Design of New York,
as well as the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, the Winkleman Gallery, MUba (Musée des Beaux Arts) in Tourcoing, France, and the Galeria Civica Cavour in Padova, Italy.
He is represented by Bonni Benrubi Gallery in New York.
Matthew Albanese est fasciné très tôt par le cinema et sa magie, les effets spéciaux, les mécaniques qui se cachent derrière ces illusions. Né en 1983 dans le nord du New
Jersey, Albanese a passé une enfance entre le New Jersey et le nord de l’état de New-York. Comme un enfant unique joue souvent seul, Albanese était déjà imaginatif. Il aimait
les miniatures et créer des scénarios complexes combinant objets domestiques et sa vaste collection de figurines.
Après son Bachelor of Fine Arts en Photographie à la State University of New York, Albanese travaille comme photographe de mode et exerce son oeil sur des sacs, des chaussures de créateurs et des accessoires, se spécialisant ainsi dans le « petit » objet plus connu comme « Photographie sur table ».
L’oeil créatif d’Albanese se tourne rapidement sur des constructions d’une nature sauvagement électrique. En 2008, une boite de paprika renversée l’inspire à créer son
premier mini paysage martien, suivi une minute plus tard de dioramas faits d’épices, de nourriture et d’objets trouvés.
Les aspects techniques de son travail impliquent la construction de modèles méticuleusement détaillés, à petite échelle, faits de différents matériaux et objets pour créer des
paysages suscitant de l’émotion. Chaque aspect de la construction jusqu’à la lumière du modèle final est minutieusement pré-plannifié, usant de méthodes qui accentuent
l’immersion des spectateurs quand il est photographié sous un angle spécifique. Utilisant un mélange de techniques photographiques, comme le rapport d’échelle, profondeur
de champ, balance des blancs et des contrastes, il a la capacité de radicalement changer l’apparence de ses matériaux.
En 2011, il expose déjà au Museum of Art and Design of New York. Son travail a aussi été présenté au Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, à la Winkleman Gallery et au MUba
à Turcoing en France. Il est représenté par la galerie Bonni Benrubi à New York.
213 rue Saint-Honoré 75001 Paris
www.colette.fr
Tel. 01 55 35 33 97
Email [email protected]
6-31 Octobre 2014
De gauche à droite / Left to right
Paprika Mars
C-print and plexi mounting (50,8 x 76 cm / 20 x 30")
edition 4 of 10
1,500.00 €
Trainwreck
C-print and plexi mounting (55,8 x 76 cm / 22 x 30")
edition 1 of 10
1,800.00 €
My dream your nightmare
C-print and plexi mounting (55,8 x 76 cm / 22 x 30")
edition 5 of 10
1,800.00 €
Made out of 12 pounds paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder and charcoal
Made with a Lionel train set. Debris made from watch, music box, and electronic components.
Sticks and twigs covered with white crepe paper and charcoal to achieve "Birch" appearance. Synthetic "grass turf" and coffee grounds as dirt. I created the fireflies by placing clear sheets of acetate between the trees that were
then spattered with liquid from a glow stick.
After the storm
C-print and plexi mounting (76 x 68,5 cm / 30x27")
edition 1 of 10
2,100.00 €
This model is simply made out of faux fur(fields), cotton (clouds) and sifted tile grout(mountains). The perspective is forced as in all of my images, and the lighting effect was created by simply shifting the white balance.
Waterglass Mountain
C-print and plexi mounting (89 x 63,5 cm / 35 x 25")
edition 3 of 10
2,100.00 €
This one is a mixture of many different materials, tile grout, moss, bottle brushes (pine trees) Actual clippings from ground cover and was built on top of standard outdoor patio table (water glass). The sky is canvas painted blue.
Coloring was again achieved by shifting white balance.
How to Breathe Underwater
C-print and plexi mounting (114 x 152 cm / 45 x 60") edition 1 of 5
3,700.00 €
Diorama made out of walnuts, poured and cast candle wax, wire, glitter, peanut shells, flock, plaster, wire, dyed starfish, compressed moss, jellybeans(anemones), sponges, wax coated seashells, toothpaste, clay, figs, feathers,
Q-tips, nonpareils. Surface of the water was created using vinyl shower curtain, plexiglass and clear epoxy. The reflected sunlight effect was created using a video projector through fake fog. The white balance was set for tungsten
allowing the sunlight to appear bright and clear while the strobes provided a deep blue shift in the fill light regions. The lens was covered with a piece of blue stretch wrap which created subtle distortions throughout the image.
A total of 11 light sources were used including the projector.
New Life #2
C-print and plexi mounting (135 x 152 cm / 53 x 60") edition 2 of 5
New Life #1
C-print and plexi mounting (135 x 152 cm / 53 x 60") edition 5 of 5
Diorama made using painted parchment paper, thread, hand dyed ostrich feathers, carved chocolate, wire, raffia, masking tape, coffee, synthetic potting moss and cotton.
Catalogue Strange Worlds, Lazy Dog Press, introduction David Revere McFadden, 45 €
3,700.00 €
3,700.00 €