Digital Pigment Landscape Photography

The photograph is available in three sizes. The print is proposed as a face-mount; it is mounted to acrylic at the front and Dibond at the back. It is ready to hang with a metal bracket on the wall. In "Snow Dream Pink," Anne Valverde intertwines the serenity of a winter landscape with the subtle vibrancy of neon art. The work captures a moment of stillness as dusk drapes the snowy scene in a blush of pink, while the word 'dream,' spelled out in neon, casts a warm glow across the cold ground. Valverde's signature use of neon text as an integrated element of her compositions is evident as she delicately places the installation within the natural environment. The glowing letters stand in gentle contrast to the twilight hues, a beacon that seems both a part of the landscape and a distinct echo of human presence and creativity. With the snow-capped mountains and frosted trees as a backdrop, the neon sign does more than illuminate; it inspires. It serves as a call to pause, reflect, and embrace the possibilities that dreams represent, even amidst the quiet slumber of winter. "Snow Dream Pink" is a visual symphony of contrasts — the warmth of the neon light against the cool snow, the soft sky against the crisp outlines of the forest. It's a testament to Valverde's skill in creating spaces where light, colour, and text invite the viewer to a place of introspection and wonder. Since 2015, Valverde has been working on a neon light installation project in several countries, which she materialises through photography. The DREAM ART PROJECT Her portfolio “City Icons” in 2008 brought her work to public attention. A series about Iconic Monuments from Major cities like Paris, New York, Hong Kong, London, Dubaï… Writing with Neon brings together two passions for Anne Valverde: light and words thus incorporating her main medium of expression: Photography. Valverde brings artificial light to areas where electricity is absent, creating a dissonance in the landscape and an unexpected and dreamlike light, creating a new message, independent from preexisting signs and words. Valverde’s first message is "dream", as she invites the viewer to go past reality and reflect on open spaces for escape in a complex and tormented world. Some themes are recurring: an amused gaze on social media omnipresence, hyper-connectivity or even office language shortcuts. This contemplation of the natural landscape suddenly opens up to a perspective on social evolution. By inserting neon lights in her photographs, she initiates a return...

The photograph is available in three sizes. The print is proposed as a face-mount; it is mounted to acrylic at the front and Dibond at the back. It is ready to hang with a metal bracket on the wall. In "Offline," a thought-provoking photograph by Anne Valverde, we are presented with a tranquil coastal scene at twilight. The neon text 'off line' glows softly amidst the wild grasses at the forefront, suggesting a deliberate disconnection from the digital world and an immersion into natural serenity. The horizon blends sea and sky in a gradient of blues, symbolizing the vastness and depth of the world beyond our screens. The pristine environment, with its calm waters and untouched sands, encourages viewers to consider the peacefulness that comes with being 'offline' and reconnecting with the environment around us. The placement of the phrase 'off line' within the serene landscape invites the viewer to reflect on the concept of presence and the importance of disconnecting from the constant flow of information and connectivity that defines modern life. It's a gentle nudge to step back, to breathe in the fresh air, and to take in the moment without the distraction of technology. "Offline" is not just a visual experience; it is a statement on the balance we seek between the digital and natural worlds. It's a call to occasionally break away from the tether of our devices and to indulge in the beauty that exists when we do. This image captures that fleeting moment of dusk when the world slows down, and we can find solace in the simple and profound beauty of nature. Since 2015, Valverde has been working on a neon light installation project in several countries, which she materialises through photography. The DREAM ART PROJECT Her portfolio “City Icons” in 2008 brought her work to public attention. A series about Iconic Monuments from Major cities like Paris, New York, Hong Kong, London, Dubaï… Writing with Neon brings together two passions for Anne Valverde: light and words thus incorporating her main medium of expression: Photography. Valverde brings artificial light to areas where electricity is absent, creating a dissonance in the landscape and an unexpected and dreamlike light, creating a new message, independent from preexisting signs and words. Valverde’s first message is "dream", as she invites the viewer to go past reality and reflect on open spaces for escape in a complex and tormented world. Some themes are recurring: an amused gaze on social media omnipresence, hyper-connectivity or even office language shortcuts. This contemplation of the natural landscape suddenly opens up to a perspective on social evolution. By inserting neon lights in her photographs, she initiates a return...

The photograph is available in three sizes. The print is proposed as a face-mount; it is mounted to acrylic at the front and Dibond at the back. It is ready to hang with a metal bracket on the wall. Anne Valverde's photograph "Endless" captures the essence of an infinite desert landscape, stretching far beyond the bounds of the frame. The scene is one of stark, natural beauty, dominated by the sweeping dunes and scattered stones that pepper the sand. The neon text 'endless' is inscribed onto the barren desert floor, resonating with the boundless view. The composition of this image is striking in its simplicity and scale, with the gradation of light hinting at the vast expanse of space and time encapsulated within the desert's embrace. The text itself, a human-made construct, contrasts with the timeless and untouched environment, yet it seems to belong there, highlighting the desert's relentless continuum. The photograph, with its subdued tones and soft light, evokes a sense of solitude and introspection. It encourages the viewer to ponder on the concept of eternity and our place within it. The desert is a metaphor for the endless possibilities and the enduring passage of time, a place where one can lose themselves in the horizon that stretches into infinity. "Endless" is not just a visual representation of a desert; it is a reflection on the vastness of nature and the human spirit. Valverde's work prompts a contemplative state, a meditation on the unending cycle of life, and the awe-inspiring scale of the natural world. It is an invitation to explore the depths of our own thoughts and the ceaseless nature of our existence. Since 2015, Valverde has been working on a neon light installation project in several countries, which she materialises through photography. The DREAM ART PROJECT Her portfolio “City Icons” in 2008 brought her work to public attention. A series about Iconic Monuments from Major cities like Paris, New York, Hong Kong, London, Dubaï… Writing with Neon brings together two passions for Anne Valverde: light and words thus incorporating her main medium of expression: Photography. Valverde brings artificial light to areas where electricity is absent, creating a dissonance in the landscape and an unexpected and dreamlike light, creating a new message, independent from preexisting signs and words. Valverde’s first message is "dream", as she invites the viewer to go past reality and reflect on open spaces for escape in a complex and tormented world. Some themes are recurring: an amused gaze on social media omnipresence, hyper-connectivity or even office language shortcuts. This contemplation of the natural landscape suddenly opens up to a perspective on social evolution. By inserting neon lights in her photographs, she initiates a return...

The photograph is available in three sizes. The print is proposed as a face-mount; it is mounted to acrylic at the front and Dibond at the back. It is ready to hang with a metal bracket on the wall. "Birdy Dream," a photograph by Anne Valverde, captures the ethereal beauty of a mist-enshrouded forest, with the word 'dream' crafted in neon lights, seamlessly integrated into the landscape. Valverde's artistry is evident in her ability to blend the artificial glow of neon with the organic forms of nature, creating a harmonious tableau that whispers of the unseen and the imagined. The forest scene is alive with varying textures of foliage, dominated by the large fronds of ferns that fan out across the frame. The mist rolls through the trees like a gentle tide, blurring lines and softening the world to a palette of muted greens and grays. In this dreamscape, the neon 'dream' is both a literal and figurative illumination—a call to the magic that lies in the heart of the wild. The neon text, positioned amongst the forest floor, is like a secret waiting to be discovered, a reminder that even in the dense and tangled growth, there is space for dreams to take root and flourish. The soft light from the sign pierces the fog, symbolizing clarity and hope amidst uncertainty. Valverde's "Birdy Dream" is a tribute to the quiet strength of nature and the power of dreams to persist in even the most unlikely places. It's a visual poem that invites contemplation, asking the observer to consider the myriad of dreams that live hidden beneath the canopy, in the soul of the forest, and within us all. Since 2015, Valverde has been working on a neon light installation project in several countries, which she materialises through photography. The DREAM ART PROJECT Her portfolio “City Icons” in 2008 brought her work to public attention. A series about Iconic Monuments from Major cities like Paris, New York, Hong Kong, London, Dubaï… Writing with Neon brings together two passions for Anne Valverde: light and words thus incorporating her main medium of expression: Photography. Valverde brings artificial light to areas where electricity is absent, creating a dissonance in the landscape and an unexpected and dreamlike light, creating a new message, independent from preexisting signs and words. Valverde’s first message is "dream", as she invites the viewer to go past reality and reflect on open spaces for escape in a complex and tormented world. Some themes are recurring: an amused gaze on social media omnipresence, hyper-connectivity or even office language shortcuts. This contemplation of the natural landscape suddenly opens up to a perspective on social evolution. By inserting neon lights in her photographs, she initiates a return...

49" x 70" Ed. of 8 $9,800 & larger 41" x 59" Ed. of 10 $6,800 36" x 50" Ed. of 6 $5,200 30" x 42" Ed. of 6 $3,600 Recommended option to use museum glass/acrylic priced on request In this photograph, Lenoir captures a calming seascape featuring a group of piping plovers on East Hamptons beach...

Elevation 30" X 42" Ed. of 10, Unframed we can frame it in a white wood shadow box. The frame price is 400$. A resolutely minimalist and suggestive approach to get to the essential....

An archival pigment print on fiber paper,mounted and seton awhiteshadowboxframe. From an edition of 10 in this size other edition sizes available on request Jean-Michel Lenoir’s pass...

Elevation 41 x 59" Ed. of 10, Framed Framed in a white wood shadow box. A resolutely minimalist and suggestive approach to get to the essential. Not trying to show a subject for what it is, but for what it expresses. This is my way of telling stories, of translating my sensibility”. J-M. Lenoir A passion for nature from an early age led Lenoir to photography as a means to capture magical moments of nature and wildlife. Starting with wildlife and wide spaces, he developed his own vision of photography. Landscape photography is an eternal quest for atmosphere where the light and the quest of beauty are key references, his aesthetic landmark. His photographic intention relies on his magnetic attraction for wide spaces combined with his quest of beautiful lights. A way that inspires him and his instinct of freedom. In photography, he is looking for simple pictures, which go straight to the subject core, with very few things in the frame. Lenoir follows a suggestive approach: he does not try to show a subject as it is, but to share what it expresses. It is his way of telling stories and conveying his sensibility, like his recent work “Evanescence”. Combining his passion for pictures with rugged landscapes, he organizes and guides photo tours with Photographes du Monde agency for seven years. From north of Europe (Scotland, Norway, Finland) to South america (Chile and Bolivia),his photographic world leads him into areas of wilderness from where he draws his main source of inspiration. Lenoir is an ambassador for Fujifilm cameras...

Aluminum Mounted Dimensions: 19.5" x 14.5" x 1" Edition 2/5 "Huntington Gardens LXV, San Marino, CA" is a contemporary pigment print. This work features a detailed shot of a beautif...

Unframed: 9.5 x 14" "Huntington Gardens XLVI" is part of a more extensive series of photographs Alfano has created over the past few years. Within this series is a subset of photogr...

This is a double-sided work, that hangs from the sides of the frame. Alfano has mounted the negative and positive images of "Lumphini Park" onto an aluminum sheet. Edward Alfano i...

This work is framed (17x21.5) but can be sent unframed (9.5x14). Inquire for price. Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. However, Alfano pho...

This work is framed (17x21) but can be sent unframed (12x16.) The additional editions and sizes are unframed. All photographs are signed—free shipping on all unframed prints. Edwar...

"Huntington Gardens LII" is a limited edition, black and white infrared photograph taken, developed, and printed by Southern California photographer Edward Alfano...

"Huntington Gardens XII," is a black and white infrared photograph by Edward Alfano. This is a part of his ongoing series of Huntington Gardens, a botan...

Unframed Dimensions: 14x9.5" "Huntington Gardens XXV," (6/25) is a limited edition, black and white infrared photograph taken, developed, and printed by Southern California photogra...

Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. Alfano photographs all across the world, his most photographed regions are China, Italy, and Huntington...

Unframed Dimensions: 14x9.5" "Huntington Gardens XLIV," is a limited edition, black and white infrared photograph taken, developed, and printed by Southern California photographer, ...

This work is framed (17x21") but can be sent unframed (9.5x14".) The additional editions and sizes are unframed. All photographs are signed. Free shipping on unframed prints. Edwar...

49" x 70" Ed. of 8 $9,800 & larger 41" x 59" Ed. of 10 $6,800 36" x 50" Ed. of 6 $5,200 30" x 42" Ed. of 6 $3,600 In this photograph, Lenoir captures a calming seascape featuring a group of piping...

17 x 21 inches framed

17 x 21 inches framed

Majesty 41 x 59" Ed. of 10, Framed. A resolutely minimalist and suggestive approach to get to the essential. Not trying to show a subject for what it is, but for what it expresses. This is my way of telling stories, of translating my sensibility”. J-M. Lenoir A passion for nature from an early age led Lenoir to photography as a means to capture magical moments of nature and wildlife. Starting with wildlife and wide spaces, he developed his own vision of photography. Landscape photography is an eternal quest for atmosphere where the light and the quest of beauty are key references, his aesthetic landmark. His photographic intention relies on his magnetic attraction for wide spaces combined with his quest of beautiful lights. A way that inspires him and his instinct of freedom. In photography, he is looking for simple pictures, which go straight to the subject core, with very few things in the frame. Lenoir follows a suggestive approach: he does not try to show a subject as it is, but to share what it expresses. It is his way of telling stories and conveying his sensibility, like his recent work “Evanescence”. Combining his passion for pictures with rugged landscapes, he organizes and guides photo tours with Photographes du Monde agency for seven years. From north of Europe (Scotland, Norway, Finland) to South america (Chile and Bolivia),his photographic world leads him into areas of wilderness from where he draws his main source of inspiration. Lenoir is an ambassador for Fujifilm cameras...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. Alfano photographs worldwide, his most photographed regions are China, Italy, and Huntington Gardens in ...

Print is shipped unframed - Inquire for edition numbers. Print is available in 17x11, and 5.5x8 Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. Alfano...

Print is shipped unframed. Inquire for edition numbers. Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. However, Alfano photographs worldwide; his mo...

"Huntington Gardens XXV," is a limited edition, black and white infrared photograph taken, developed, and printed by Southern California photographer, Edward Alfano. Alfano has done...

"Huntington Gardens XXV," is a limited edition, black and white infrared photograph taken, developed and printed by Southern California photographer, Edward Alfano. Alfano has done ...

Edward Alfano is a contemporary photographer working in Southern California. Alfano photographs all across the world, his most photographed regions are China, Italy, and Huntington ...

For life 28.1" X 40" Ed. of 10, Unframed We can frame it in a white wood shadow box. The frame price is 400$ as white lacquered Shadow box with UV Acrylic. A resolutely minimalist a...

Tumult II 30" X 42" Ed. of 10, Unframed $3,600 Framing options range from $400 to $800 Also available in 40*60" A resolutely minimalist and suggestive approach to get to the essen...

Edition of 10 Signed, titled, dated and numbered by Esteban Pastorino Diaz Paper size: 16 x 20 in., Image size: 12 x 16 in. Esteban Pastorino Diaz is a South American photographer, ...

This is a beautiful New York City landscape photograph by an award winning photographer. Our gallery has the most extensive art photography of New York City...

This abstract floral landscape photography has a dramatic sense of composition which recalls the careful arrangements of Dutch and Flemish still life paintings from the 17-18 century...

AP 1 Signed, titled, numbered & dated in black ink on signature label affixed to mount verso. Photograph is digital c-print mounted on dibond with acrylic facemount, wall mount on ba...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

The series 'Trespassing' explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded...

34"X42" fine art photograph, hand signed by the artist. This color photograph depicts a basketball court in Campa da Pallencestro, Venice, Italy, with trees and the Venice lagoons in...

Ed. Museum AP/1 Signed, titled, dated and numbered in black ink on mount verso by Esteban Pastorino Diaz. Photograph is digital c-print mounted on dibond with acrylic facemount, wall...

Leah Oates employs a double and sometimes triple exposure, which creates halos of light, dappled, misty surfaces and gauzy effects in muted greens and blues. Her work questions the n...

Leah Oates employs a double and sometimes triple exposure, which creates halos of light, dappled, misty surfaces and gauzy effects in muted greens and blues. Her work questions the n...

Leah Oates employs a double and sometimes triple exposure, which creates halos of light, dappled, misty surfaces and gauzy effects in muted greens and blues. Her work questions the n...

Edition of 10 Signed, titled, dated and numbered on artist stamp by Esteban Pastorino Diaz Paper size: 16 x 20 in., Image size: 12 x 16 in. Digital c-print Series: Aerial Esteban Pa...

Edition of 9 Signed, titled, dated and numbered by Jeanine Michna-Bales Digital C-print Paper size: 21 x 28.5 in., Image size: 17 x 24.5 in. From the series, Through Darkness to Light...

Okurimono 66 cm. x 200 cm. Edition 6 (+2 ap) 100 cm. x 200 cm. Edition 3 (+1ap) Euro 8,000 Pigment Print Okurimono (meaning both “gift” and “that which is in-between” in Japanese) - is a word that binds together this comprehensive project developed over five trips to Japan between 2007 and 2018. The series explores the personal pursuit of identity, at times with an underlying darkness as Houge had the chance to be introduced to Tokyo’s subculture. In exploring this theme, Houge has ventured into delicate matters such as sexuality, longing and gender dysphoria. In this particular series, he uses staging as a method to create a story within a story. The artist wishes to question the viewer and provoke a reflection on topics that are often seen as taboos in our contemporary societies. The viewer’s own associations are important in appreciating this work where ambiguity plays an important role. The project started in the Harajuku district of Tokyo which is known as a center of Japanese youth culture and where Houge found some of his first motifs: teenage girls dressing up in post-Victorian dresses or ‘cosplay’ costumes to identify with a character of their favorite comics. Here, the desire to express one’s uniqueness is central and the photographer explores the tension between personal identity and aesthetics shared by all (or at least by the same youth group). In many of his carefully staged photographs, Houge’s models are masked, so as to echo the many social masks we wear in our day-to-day lives. In our post-modern information society, drained of wonder, these enigmatic masked characters also evoke the world of shamans and pagan rituals, therefore injecting a sense of mystery and spirituality that many people are longing for. Symbolism and the many references to ritual and identity in an otherwise suppressed society, may at times create a sense of unease among viewers. The Okurimono project also explores the topic of identity and sexuality in gender dysphoria with Japan’s nyūhāfu (the transsexual ‘new halfs’). Here, the quest for identity coincides with a search of femininity and body image which results in complex physical transformations. Viewers may look at these portraits not having any clue that models are nyūhāfu. Yet, the photographs are staged so that viewers are placed in a disconcerting voyeuristic role while looking at otherwise closed world. Shibari (the art of tying), which originates from the Edo period (1600s), is another territory explored by Houge in his Okurimono series. His striking photographs of female models tied with red rope on a white background take us into this powerful journey into vulnerability and surrender, power and freedom. Through tradition, symbolism and technology, Okurimono also explores the hugely potent symbols that help define parts of Japanese culture and national identity, between old and new. As Art historian Erling Bugge put it: “Christian Houge guides us into a mystery. It resides between the ritualized shapes of the traditional and withdrawn Zen garden in Kyoto and the equally ritualized spaces of futuristic, urban Tokyo. For a westerner, Japan might look familiar, since what is held up for us looks like a futuristic spectacle somehow grounded in a western imagination. This judgment, however, is too easy. In Houge’s photographs, the sense of sameness withdraws and a very different feeling of strangeness creeps up on us. In fact, what this series registers is a remarkable place of alterity in today’s global order, a radical difference bang in the middle of the familiar.” The images of the Okurimono series share a ghostly, otherworldly quality. In reality and dream, ritual and play merge while the boundaries between the known and the unknown dissolve. Christian Houge – Now – Okurimono Christian Houge guides us into a mystery. It resides between the ritualized shapes of the traditional and withdrawn Zen garden in Kyoto and the equally ritualized spaces of futuristic, urban Tokyo. For a westerner, Japan might look familiar, since what is held up for us looks like a futuristic spectacle somehow grounded in a western imagination. This judgment, however, is too easy. In Houge’s photographs, the sense of sameness withdraws and a very different feeling of strangeness creeps up on us. In fact, what this series registers is a remarkable place of alterity in today’s global order, a radical difference bang in the middle of the familiar. This is pushed to the limit in the technological and virtual wonderland of Akihabara in Tokyo, where shop after shop trade in electronic products and computer games, while a weird costume play...

Edition 4/5 Digital c-print 38 1/4 x 46 1/4 in. Signed, titled, dated and numbered in black ink on mount verso. Photograph is digital c-print mounted on dibond with acrylic facemount...

Okurimono 66 cm. x 200 cm. Edition 6 (+2 ap) 100 cm. x 200 cm. Edition 3 (+1ap) Euro 8,000 Pigment Print Okurimono (meaning both “gift” and “that which is in-between” in Japanese) - is a word that binds together this comprehensive project developed over five trips to Japan between 2007 and 2018. The series explores the personal pursuit of identity, at times with an underlying darkness as Houge had the chance to be introduced to Tokyo’s subculture. In exploring this theme, Houge has ventured into delicate matters such as sexuality, longing and gender dysphoria. In this particular series, he uses staging as a method to create a story within a story. The artist wishes to question the viewer and provoke a reflection on topics that are often seen as taboos in our contemporary societies. The viewer’s own associations are important in appreciating this work where ambiguity plays an important role. The project started in the Harajuku district of Tokyo which is known as a center of Japanese youth culture and where Houge found some of his first motifs: teenage girls dressing up in post-Victorian dresses or ‘cosplay’ costumes to identify with a character of their favorite comics. Here, the desire to express one’s uniqueness is central and the photographer explores the tension between personal identity and aesthetics shared by all (or at least by the same youth group). In many of his carefully staged photographs, Houge’s models are masked, so as to echo the many social masks we wear in our day-to-day lives. In our post-modern information society, drained of wonder, these enigmatic masked characters also evoke the world of shamans and pagan rituals, therefore injecting a sense of mystery and spirituality that many people are longing for. Symbolism and the many references to ritual and identity in an otherwise suppressed society, may at times create a sense of unease among viewers. The Okurimono project also explores the topic of identity and sexuality in gender dysphoria with Japan’s nyūhāfu (the transsexual ‘new halfs’). Here, the quest for identity coincides with a search of femininity and body image which results in complex physical transformations. Viewers may look at these portraits not having any clue that models are nyūhāfu. Yet, the photographs are staged so that viewers are placed in a disconcerting voyeuristic role while looking at otherwise closed world. Shibari (the art of tying), which originates from the Edo period (1600s), is another territory explored by Houge in his Okurimono series. His striking photographs of female models tied with red rope on a white background take us into this powerful journey into vulnerability and surrender, power and freedom. Through tradition, symbolism and technology, Okurimono also explores the hugely potent symbols that help define parts of Japanese culture and national identity, between old and new. As Art historian Erling Bugge put it: “Christian Houge guides us into a mystery. It resides between the ritualized shapes of the traditional and withdrawn Zen garden in Kyoto and the equally ritualized spaces of futuristic, urban Tokyo. For a westerner, Japan might look familiar, since what is held up for us looks like a futuristic spectacle somehow grounded in a western imagination. This judgment, however, is too easy. In Houge’s photographs, the sense of sameness withdraws and a very different feeling of strangeness creeps up on us. In fact, what this series registers is a remarkable place of alterity in today’s global order, a radical difference bang in the middle of the familiar.” The images of the Okurimono series share a ghostly, otherworldly quality. In reality and dream, ritual and play merge while the boundaries between the known and the unknown dissolve. Christian Houge – Now – Okurimono Christian Houge guides us into a mystery. It resides between the ritualized shapes of the traditional and withdrawn Zen garden in Kyoto and the equally ritualized spaces of futuristic, urban Tokyo. For a westerner, Japan might look familiar, since what is held up for us looks like a futuristic spectacle somehow grounded in a western imagination. This judgment, however, is too easy. In Houge’s photographs, the sense of sameness withdraws and a very different feeling of strangeness creeps up on us. In fact, what this series registers is a remarkable place of alterity in today’s global order, a radical difference bang in the middle of the familiar. This is pushed to the limit in the technological and virtual wonderland of Akihabara in Tokyo, where shop after shop trade in electronic products and computer games, while a weird costume play, “cosplay”, is being performed in streets. A similar kind of simulation is being acted out in the district of Harajuku, where Houge found some of his motifs. There is no authenticity here, no western “essence” or “reality”; instead, the virtual conquers the carnal body in a purified play of surface, image and the hyperreal. This is exotic. All the while as we are conscious of these notions as pinnacle points in a western idea of the post-modern. But in this sense Japan has always been “post-modern”. It has always integrated the most refined culture and technology from the outside while somehow retained an identity for itself. So, what would this identity be? Houge takes the view of ritual and play. Indeed, Japanese culture seems to be grounded solely on ritual, in business and in sex, in its relation to nature and in religion. This play transcends the notion of authenticity altogether, unlike the West which is haunted by the “ghost” of origin and beginnings. In Japan, “now” would mean just that; it is a “no looking back”, but rather a flow of intensities integrated in the play and ritual of the ever-present, okurimono. There is no threat of being eaten up by western culture and technology here, for, like in Zen practice, the ritual oversees everything and has no historical drag. Japan becomes weightless, shot into orbit outside the material of earth itself. Is acting out the role as Lewis Caroll’s Victorian girl driven by a sense of nostalgia? I think not. It is a striving for a moment of perfected presence, in dialogue with Houge’s optical machine. It is the moment of Now. The girl, the Zen garden and the image shares in a perfection modified by small uncertainties, coincidental imperfections that become somewhat oblique points of entry for us - a discarded handkerchief or seemingly unremarkable shapes and reflections in the prismatic play of surfaces. There is a ghostly, otherworldly quality in these images, even in the fleeting blossoming cherrytree and the play of shadows across a concrete minimalism. The doubly exposed or reflected light on the lens reminds us of the uncertain beginnings in photography’s history, with its widespread belief that the camera was able to perceive more than the naked eye, like spirits and ghosts. In Houge’s images there are different specters, skeletal, natural shapes on the one hand, the machine and the virtual on the other. Here, like some scene from the film Blade Runner, there is an uncanny confusion and mix between the human and non human. Maybe the search for a perfect moment in the perpetual flow of things is a romantic or melancholic longing for transcendent wholeness, a drive that is harnessed in a rigorous attention to visual detail. This compulsive discipline might seem absurd to any western observer, while longing itself form a common ground and will ultimately be the basis in our meeting. Erling Bugge Bio: Christian Houge (born in Oslo 1972) Based in Oslo, Norway, I have been making photographs for over twenty years and new insights continue to open. By exploring the relation, and conflict, between Nature and culture, I get a better understanding about Mans` condition. I am interested in the consequences of Humankinds progression and how science often is the result of our conquering of Nature, both on Earth and beyond. Mans` ego, consumer society, the last remnants of pure Nature and identity are recurring elements in my work. I often juxtapose the visually aesthetic with an underlying uneasiness. This often emanates a cognitive dissonance in the viewer to invite deeper truths and personal references. Looking at our actions and place in environment, which we are so dependent on, is a recurring theme in all my exploration and can use everything from digital cameras to large format and panoramic analog cameras for specific projects. I have exhibited extensively in galleries and museums in my native country Norway, as well as the US, England, France and China. The series `Death of a Mountain`(2016-2021) is nominated for the 2021 Leica Oskar Barnack Award, as well as receiving an arts grant from Norwegian Arts Council. Most recently, my series `Residence of Impermanence` 2017-2019 has been exhibited at five museums and several galleries already (including a solo show at Fotografiska, Stockholm (2019), and Les Recontres d`Arles, Haugar Artmuseum, Preus Muaeum of Photography and 2019 (Galerie Omnius, Arles). In 2021, this series received ten nominations for the Prix Pictet Award with the theme FIRE. `Residence of Impermanence` is currently exhibited at the UCR: California Museum of Photography in Los Angeles with the exhibition `Facing Fire,` Art, Wildfire and The End of Nature in the New West.` This exhibition explores the ever-worsening forest fires due to climate change. In 2005, my series `Arctic Technology`, was shortlisted for the BMW Prize at Paris Photo (Scout Gallery, London). In 2015, my series `Paradise Lost`(containing three of my main environmental series) toured between three large museums in China. My other environmental work has been nominated for the annual Prix Pictet Award twice, with my series, `Barentsburg` and `Shadow Within`, for both Earth and Power themes. In 2005, my series `Arctic Technology` was shortlisted for the BMW Prize at Paris photo (through Scout Gallery, London). My work has been shown in numerous museums, including a symposium at Johnson Museum, N.Y., was included in traveling exhibitions with WHATCOM (Museum of Washington) with the exhibition `Vanishing Ice`, as well as a two-year museum tour in China environmental issues with Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing and the Norwegian Embassy. Publications/books include `Vanishing Ice`and `Altered Landscape` (Nevada Museum of Art), including purchased work for their collection at Center for Art and Environment. Selected exhibitions CV: Christian Houge (born in Oslo 1972) - Curriculum Vitae 2021 `As far as my Eye can Sea – The Expedition Exhibition` Rev Ocean, Bomuldsfabrikken Kunsthall, Arendal `Facing Fire`, Collaborative, UCR ARTS:California Museum of Photography Continuation `Death of a Mountain`/ In;Human Nature`, Buer Gallery, Oslo 2020 `Facing Fire`, Collaborative, UCR ARTS:California Museum of Photography 2019 `Metafysica`, `Residence of Impermanence`,collaborative, Haugar Kunstmuseum, Vestfold `Residence of Impermanence`, Fotografiska Museum, Stockholm. Solo `Helt Dyrisk` Residence of Impermanence`, collaborative, Preus Museum, Horten `Residence of Impermanence`, Galleri Fineart, Oslo. Solo 2017 `Shadow Within/Rituals` Gulden Kunstverk, Drammen. Solo Commission, MAAEMO restaurant. `In;Human Nature` `Mirror,Mirror` Hosfelt Gallery, San.Fran. Collaborative w/Ed Ruscha, Adam Fuss, Liliana Porter 2016 `In;Human Nature`, TM51 Gallery, Oslo. Solo Fotofever/ParisPhoto, Louvre, Paris Cornette de Saint Cyr, Auction, Paris 2015 Three Shadows Photography Art Center, Beijing, China. `Paradise Lost` . `Arctic Technology/Barentsburg`/ Shadow Within. Solo Fotofever (ParisPhoto), Artistics Art Gallery, Paris. Collaborative How Art Museum, Wenzhou, China. `Paradise Lost` Arctic Technology/Barentsburg/Shadow Within. Solo Redtory, Guangzhou, China. `Paradise Lost` Arctic Technology/Barentsburg/Shadow Within. Solo 2014 Fineart Gallery, Oslo `Shadow Within` 2010-2013 / `Darkness Burns Bright` 2013/2014. Solo Beyond Earth Art • (contemporary artists and the environment) Johnson Museum of Art, New York. Shadow Within. Collaborative (incl. Olafur Eliasson, Edward Burtynsky, Mathew Brandt, Yun-Fei Ji amongst others) The El Paso Museum of Art, Texas. `Arctic Technology`. Collaborative Glenbow Museum, Alberta. `Arctic Technology`. Collaborative LIFF (Lofoten International Photofestival) `Shadow Within` w/speaking. Solo 2013 Nominated for the Prix Pictet Award/ `Shadow Within`. Hosfelt Gallery, San.Fran. USA. `Shadow Within`. Solo Accompanied by Call of the Wild`( Joseph Beuys, Ed Ruscha, Patricia Piccinini and Alan Rath...

"Burnt Place" - After the fire swept through, the forest was left scorched and barren. The ground is still warm and the unstirring air is thick with the scent of charred wood. Scorched, lifeless pines stand solemn and mournful in the shadows of the Burnt Place. About the Twilight's Path project: "We spend our lives surrounded by the security of possessions, relationships and roles, but our futures hold nothing so substantial; one day we must all enter into true not- knowing - into a dark, unconscious place." Jasper Goodall...

Edition of 15 + 3 APs Signed, titled, dated and numbered. Portfolio box: 13 1/4 x 16 3/4 x 2 1/8 in. A limited edition portfolio was published by Jeanine Michna-Bales in the spring of 2018. The numbered books (1-15 + 3ap) along with twelve images selected by the artist are enclosed in a hand-crafted box. The images are interleaved with vellum sheets that have quotations from those who played an integral part in the Underground Railroad...

Edition of 8 Signed, titled, dated and numbered. Digital c-print, 25 x 36 in. Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad...

Edition of 8 Signed, titled, dated and numbered. Michna-Bales’ work explores the relationships between what has occurred, or is occurring, in a society and how people react to those events. She meticulously researches each topic — considering different viewpoints, causes and effects, and political climates — and often incorporates found or archival text and audio into her projects. Whether exploring the darkened stations along the Underground Railroad, long-forgotten nuclear fallout...