Von Lintel Gallery premieres “Chemistry”and Light,” which brings together the work of Chuck Kelton and Joseph Minek—two artists who practice versions of camera-free photography. They each elect instead to work directly with the raw materials of darkroom practice—paper, chemicals, lightbulbs—generating unique monoprints. Their energetic works carry resonance with abstract painting and natural phenomena.

Taken together, each to the other, Kelton and Minek represent in their common philosophies and divergent differences some contours for a genre. In one sense traditionalists—aka being actual darkroom photographers —nevertheless they eschew the fundamental conventions of both camera and film in pursuit of a deconstruction of the medium that is both more pure and more complex. There is a rich legacy in the historical avant-garde, of artists with a soul of scientific inquiry who take this kind of almost anatomical approach to centering the building blocks of their practice. But as each Kelton and Minek take it up, this center vectors off according to the aesthetics and axioms of each one’s vision.

On view: March 16 – May 8, 2021; CLICK HERE to make an appointment; Private viewings are for 30-minutes; Masks or face coverings are required; CLICK HERE to enter viewing room; For additional information, please contact the gallery at (310) 559-5700 or by email at gallery@vonlintel.com;

What: Opening
Where: Von Lintel Gallery, 1206, Maple Ave # 212, LA, 90015
When: By appointment
Phone: (310) 559-5700
Website: http://www.vonlintel.com