January 15 – February 28, 2004
Artist’s reception:
Thursday, January 15th
5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
ClampArt is pleased to announce “Spirit,” an exhibition of recent photographs by artist, Bill Armstrong. The exhibition will include “Blue Spheres,” “Masks and Skulls,” “Mandalas,” and “Buddhas,” all from Armstrong’s ongoing “Infinity” series.
Unifying a broad array of diverse imagery is the artist’s interest in photographically depicting the idea of the spirit—often regarded as something unable to be seen. Drawing from a variety of belief systems from around the globe, Armstrong’s groupings reference a range of sources—from Western ideas of the celestial or the heavenly and common notions of ghosts and apparitions, to African concepts of “evil spirits” and Eastern mandalas and Buddha.
Beginning with scraps of paper and found imagery, Armstrong creates colorful collages which he then photographs with the focus ring on his camera lens placed at infinity. The resultant images are a wonderful hybrid of media (collage and photography) that seamlessly meld original and found imagery, while teasing the boundary between representation and abstraction. The bright and powerful final prints actually pulse and vibrate as the viewer is meditatively transfixed by their glow.
Bill Armstrong’s work has been widely exhibited with photographs included in shows at the International Center for Photography and the Smithsonian Institution. Forthcoming museum exhibitions in 2004 will include the Musée de l’Elysée and the Southeastern Museum of Photography. Armstrong’s prints are in numerous permanent collections, including the Fogg Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Addison Gallery of American Art, among others.