• IN CONVERSATION

  • In Conversation is an inspired pairing of John Chiara’s dreamy, richly colored camera obscura photographs with Angela West’s painterly mixed media works. Both West and Chiara play with reflection, light and abstraction to create deeply evocative landscapes that are less about depiction of place but rather the memory of it. West and Chiara each embody a contemporary sensibility that addresses memory, identity, and the evolving relationship between people and nature.

  • John Chiara

  • John Chiara (born 1971) is a contemporary photographer known for his innovative approach to image-making, blending elements of photography, sculpture,...
    Image by Zev Schmitz

    John Chiara (born 1971) is a contemporary photographer known for his innovative approach to image-making, blending elements of photography, sculpture, and performance. Chiara's work defies traditional photography methods, as he has developed a unique process that creates one-of a- kind photographs using hand-built cameras. The largest of these cameras measures 50" x 80" and is transported on a flatbed trailer, underscoring the scale and ambition of Chiara's artistic vision. Once a location is selected, John Chiara physically enters the camera to manipulate the exposure, using his hands to control the light that enters the lens. The result is a series of largescale, dreamlike images that are both perceptually striking and rich with texture, reflecting Chiara's deep engagement with the physicality of his medium.

  • Utilizing inventive cameras he designed and built himself, Chiara shoots directly onto positive color photographic paper, leaving behind visible traces...

    Utilizing inventive cameras he designed and built himself, Chiara shoots directly onto positive color photographic paper, leaving behind visible traces of his process. The artist was invited by the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2022 to document the redevelopment taking shape on nearby Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands, and the exhibition focuses on works from this new series. His images draw our attention to shifting elements of the landscape and tell a thoughtful, complex story about the changing urban terrain.

  • Treasure Island

    For the Treasure Island project, Chiara shot directly onto positive color photographic paper, leaving behind visible traces of his process. The artist was invited by the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2022 to document the redevelopment taking shape on nearby Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands. His images draw our attention to shifting elements of the landscape and tell a thoughtful, complex story about the changing urban terrain.
    • John Chiara, Avenue of the Palms facing Coit Tower, Treasure Island, 2023
      John Chiara, Avenue of the Palms facing Coit Tower, Treasure Island, 2023
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    • John Chiara, Perimeter Road facing Alcatraz, Treasure Island, 2023
      John Chiara, Perimeter Road facing Alcatraz, Treasure Island, 2023
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  • John Chiara, Avenue of the Palms facing the San Francisco Marine Layer, Treasure Island, 2024

    John Chiara

    Avenue of the Palms facing the San Francisco Marine Layer, Treasure Island, 2024
    Direct positive print on lifochrome paper hinged to museum board
    49 x 39 inches
    Unique
    • John Chiara, Perimeter Road facing The Golden Gate, Treasure Island, 2022
      John Chiara, Perimeter Road facing The Golden Gate, Treasure Island, 2022
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    • John Chiara, Sun over North Beach, Treasure Island, 2024
      John Chiara, Sun over North Beach, Treasure Island, 2024
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  • John Chiara, Avenue of the Palms facing the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, 2024

    John Chiara

    Avenue of the Palms facing the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, 2024
    Direct positive print on lifochrome paper hinged to museum board
    49 x 39 inches
    Unique
  • Switzerland

    In late February 2020, Chiara traveled to the Fundaziun Nairs residency program in the southeastern Swiss Alps and after shortly arriving at the residency, the Swiss borders closed due to the coronavirus. Chiara was forced to live and work in Switzerland for six months where he created evocative silver gelatin photographs of the town of Ftan and Engadin Valley.
    • John Chiara, Clozza at Viluorna
      John Chiara, Clozza at Viluorna
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    • John Chiara, Ftan over Shloss Tarasp
      John Chiara, Ftan over Shloss Tarasp
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  • Angela West 

  • Angela West’s work reimagines her earlier series of photographs of Dahlonega, GA (the artist’s hometown) through a reorientation of format and painting layers of impressionistic brushstrokes. The interplay of the glossy photograph and texture of paint creates a wholly new experience of subject and ground, and results in fantastical compositions that blur distinction between photography and painting.

  • Angela West (born 1971, Dahlonega, GA) has a 25- year history with Jackson Fine Art. She creates series of varied...
    Image by Sara Dorio

    Angela West (born 1971, Dahlonega, GA) has a 25- year history with Jackson Fine Art. She creates series of varied photographic projects relating to her hometown and the chronology of its inhabitants. Employing the traditional academic genres of art to explore the nature and place of community, Angela West’s series include portrait studies of small-town teenage girls, landscape explorations of neighborhoods, and still life’s that represent the passing of time. In each genre, her richly realized color photographs balance affection for her subjects with precise and unsentimental observation. Angela West's photography has been exhibited at the Pinchuk Art Centre, Kieve, Ukraine, the Modern 07, Munich, Germany, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia. Her work is included in the collections of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C. and the Sir Elton John Collection. She was the recipient of a 2009 Artadia Award. West received a BFA from University of Georgia in 1995, and an MFA from Yale University in 2000 where she was the recipient of the George Sakier Memorial Award for Excellence in Photography. She lives and works in Atlanta, GA.

  • AVAILABLE WORKS

    • Angela West, Facing another way, where I am, 2024
      Angela West, Facing another way, where I am, 2024
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    • Angela West, I must've wished a million times, 2024
      Angela West, I must've wished a million times, 2024
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  • Angela West, It might last the summer and be gone by fall, 2024

    Angela West

    It might last the summer and be gone by fall, 2024
    Photographic print with mixed media mounted to plexi
    50 x 60 inches
    Image: 49 1/2 x 59 1/8 inches
    Unique
    • Angela West, Keep me on your mind, 2024
      Angela West, Keep me on your mind, 2024
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    • Angela West, You'll have new Septembers, 2024 SOLD
      Angela WestYou'll have new Septembers, 2024

      SOLD

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  • Angela West Always the first star that I Find, 2024 Signed in ink on label verso Photographic print with mixed...

    Angela West

    Always the first star that I Find, 2024

    Signed in ink on label verso

    Photographic print with mixed media mounted to Dibond

    40 x 50 inches

    Unique

    SOLD