FOR 11/2

RAY K. METZKER PHOTOGRAPHS AT LAURENCE MILLER GALLERY

avv/gs set 10/22 #716716

NEW YORK CITY — On view through January 12, the Laurence Miller Gallery presents “Singular Sensations: Recent Collages and Photograms,” an exhibition of 40 recent one-of-a-kind gelatin silver photographs created by Ray K. Metzker.

This exhibition is a celebration of Metzker’s retrospective “Light Lines,” which opens at the Musee de l’Elysee, in Lausanne, Switzerland, November 13. The retrospective will be accompanied by a new monograph, Light Lines, published by Steidl.

Created in the darkroom from a union of light play and photo chemistry, these painterly images challenge the viewer’s imagination on a departure from the world of reality. By inventive application of the photographic medium, this current body of work, primarily made without the use of a camera, includes techniques from the foundations of photography — photograms and light drawings.

By inverting the process, Metzker is able to extract a palette of colors inherent to black and white photography. Also featured are “Arrestations,” a series of collages that are constructed from fragments of exposed photographic paper that are torn and pieced together to create a new and altogether different whole.

In this Rorschach-like world, even small details like the torn edge of a piece of paper play a significant role in the manipulation and creation of light. Some images conjure atmospheric landscapes, some the human figure, while others dwell in pure abstraction; but all embody a sense of movement and play that give each viewer a perspective and provide passage on a journey limited only by the viewer’s imagination.

The gallery is at 20 West 57th Street. For information, www.laurencemillergallery.com or 212-397-3930