On Saturday, May 11th, Curio Studio & Collection will host an opening reception for COLORFORM, the inaugural exhibition of photographic works by Venice artist Paddy Wilkins. COLORFORM is “the culmination of the artist’s life-long obsession with photography and the fastidious process of capturing images with a vintage “instant” camera in a digital world”.
From Curio Gallery:
In COLORFORM, Paddy continues exploring the senses with portraiture, focusing this time on anonymous women and the inherent beauty of both their bodies and what they cover them with. We get the sense we are peeking into some uncomfortably private moments.
COLORFORM was shot entirely with a Polaroid 600SE, known in the world of “instant photographers” as the Goose. The camera has been his addiction since picking it up four years ago. Not ideological about the film/digital divide, Wilkins uses every tool available when making images, using digital to test elements like lighting and composition before committing them to Polaroid. The results are always exciting, strengthening and enhance the story being told.
Wilkins makes photography, media art, films and conceptual artworks. While most of his work includes elements of portraiture, Wilkins develops forms that often do not follow logical criteria but are based on subjective associations and formal parallels, his pieces often incite the viewer to make their own personal conclusions. In 2012, Wilkins co-produced the award-winning documentary Heartland: A Portrait of Survival, about the role of photographs in the rebuilding Joplin, MO, after it was decimated by a tornado. Wilkins currently lives and works in Venice, California.
Curio Studio & Collection is located at 324 Sunset Ave, Venice, CA 90291.