JOHN CHIARA – CREATMONT AT CORAL
2012-04-16The exhibited works were primarily shot in San Francisco’s
Potrero Hill, Excelsior, Diamond Heights and Mission districts using
his 34 x 28 inch camera, which he tows around the city on a
trailer. Chiara captures quiet vignettes of urban life – juxtaposing
views of streets and buildings with more scenic vistas that only
subtly nod to their city surroundings. As if physical manifestations
of one’s memory of the landscape, the pictures are evocative,
meditative and brooding.
Chiara’s singular approach combines shooting and darkroom
processing, printing directly onto positive color photographic
paper known as Ilfochrome; as such, they are unique works that
cannot be reproduced. He affixes the paper to the camera using
tape, vestiges of which often mark the picture’s surface to varying
effect. Chiara controls the exposure time instinctively, using his
hand to dodge and burn the image. Due to their large scale, the
prints are developed in capped PVC pipes, a process in which
the chemicals are blindly agitated across the paper, leaving
behind their ethereal, almost painterly traces on the images.
The resulting pictures reflect a sophisticated balance between
Chiara’s dexterity with his tools and the serendipity intrinsic to
his treatment of materials and process.
Opposite – Coral End, 2012
Exhibition runs through till May 26th, 2012
Haines Gallery
49 Geary Street
Suite 540
San Francisco
CA
94108
