Skydiving
Working at high altitudes. An artist's book available from A-Jump Books. A show at Derek Eller Gallery in late 2010.
A good review by Sam Pulitzer: Artforum.com Critics' Picks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dan Torop
Skydiving
November 18 – December 23, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 18, 6 - 8 pm
Derek Eller Gallery is pleased to present Skydiving, an exhibition of recent photographs by Dan Torop.
Named for a poem by Ishmael Reed Skydiving is a novelistic series of images with moral and psychological dimensions. Torop explains, “It’s about finding subtle feelings and letting them live in a picture, rather than an easy beauty.” Emotional objects, the photographs explore death, suffering, and pathos as well as optimism and happiness. They convey epic subject matter on a modest scale.
Nature—from rocky landscapes and soaring trees to humble houseplants—is a focal point for Torop. The wounded branches in Trees and the other-worldly Cocteau-Orphic Point of Rocks are metaphoric for death, as is the shadowy woods by the dark river in Heron. Images of animals like that in Seizure recall the harsh view of Garry Winogrand’s zoo photographs. Humans perceive their own miserable state through images of suffering animals. At the same time, Sunset and Sheep picture contented animals in hopeful environments.
Another group of photographs investigate formal concerns within a natural setting. Taken in 2009 at particularly high altitudes, these works include Pass, Tortilla, and Blue Tarp. Torop writes, “In the thin air, where the mind barely functions, form becomes all. I’m exploring the edges and flatness of the image plane, the balance and sequence of objects, and the blankness of the skies.”
Dan Torop’s work was recently featured in We Pictured You Reading This at Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, SC, and 50 Artists Photograph the Future at Higher Pictures, New York. Torop lives and works in New York City. This will be his fourth solo exhibition at the gallery.
A full-color book entitled Skydiving published by A-Jump Books accompanies this exhibition.
Derek Eller Gallery is located at 615 West 27th Street, between 11th and 12th Avenues. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 6pm. For further information or visuals, please contact the gallery at 212.206.6411 or visit www.derekeller.com