Adam FussBorn 1961, London, UK |
Adam Fuss’ practice as a photographer returns to the simplest photographic means: photography without the use of a camera, recalling the earliest photographs of the 1830s and 1840s.
Photograms are made by placing objects in direct contact with light-sensitive paper. Upon exposure to light, the paper records the contours of the objects and their textures. Fuss exploits the technique for its capacity to aestheticise and transform objects and substances into ghostly and ephemeral silhouettes of the ‘real.’ In his tranquil water pictures, he focuses on drops falling onto a still surface, producing concentric ripples. The artist renders the moment the drops touch the surface with great precision, and also succeeds in transforming the photographic literalism of its subject into a broader, metaphysical dimension.
Fuss has been concerned at times that his water pictures might only be read as water and his spirals only as symbols; but by perfecting his vocabulary alongside the technical processes, the water pictures have become, over time, even more glowing, with more intense depths, and even more mystery, of which the present pieces are exemplary. Spanning three decades, Fuss’ career has seen him exhibit extensively in Europe and America, and also further afield.
In 2000 he won the 16th Annual ICP Infinity Award for Art. His work forms part of the collections at the V&A Museum (London), the Australian National Gallery, Chase Manhattan Bank (New York), Los Angeles Count Museum of Art (LACMA), Museum of Modern Art (MoMa, New York) and the Vienna Moderner Kunst Museum.
Work on loan from All Visual Arts, London www.allvisualarts.org
