Michael Massaia
Failings of Gravity #74
2019

About the Item

Toned and hand tinted/colored gelatin silver print with 8-ply over-mat and mounted to archival, 4-ply Crescent Natural White mat board Signed and numbered, recto 34 x 28 inches, overall mat size 28 x 22 inches, paper size (Edition of 10) 47 x 37 inches, overall mat size 40 x 30 inches, paper size (Edition of 7) 68 x 51 inches, overall mat size 60 x 43 inches, paper size (Edition of 3) This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Michael Massaia is a fine art photographer and printmaker who has spent the past ten years documenting areas and objects that never extend too far from his front door. Isolation, disconnection, and an attempt to put a spotlight on the ordinary are the constants in all of his work. He focuses primarily on large format black-and-white film, utilizing a variety of highly modified proprietary analog and digital printing techniques. Massaia works alone and is the sole craftsman from the instant the negative is exposed to the moment the final print is made. Michael Massaia could never relate to conventional portraiture, but wanted to find a way to capture people on film and in print with the perfection of studio shots. His intention with this project was to capture people in what he considered to be perfect unassuming poses (poses that could never be posed). Massaia shot all of the images very close to the subjects while they were sunbathing or sleeping in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow (usually only a few feet away) and would simply wait for the moment when the subject appeared to completely surrender to their environment. Not having the luxury of communication with the subject, he was forced to be extremely patient in order to obtain the desired results. Massaia makes gold-toned silver gelatin prints by hand for all of the images, where the surrounding grass is severely “burnt in” to isolate, thus giving the look of suspension to the subject. The majority of the images were created in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, while a few were created in other small parks in the city.

Creator:
Michael Massaia (American)
Creation Year:
2019
Dimensions:
Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)
Medium:
Silver Gelatin
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU93234528362
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