Frank Benson: On Photography
Downstairs Projects | New York
March 25 – May 20, 2018
When I was offered the opportunity to create a show for Downstairs Projects I decided to approach the exhibition and the interview printed in the accompanying zine as a personal investigation into my own relationship with photography. While my work is primarily based in sculpture, photography has been vital to my development as an artist and I thought it would be useful to explore my connection to the medium. After reviewing my archive of photographs and answering the questions posed to me in the interview, I came to the realization that my core interest in photography lies simply in a basic need to frame and document my own sculpture. I had tried several different photographic strategies throughout my career, but I ultimately found them unfulfilling — it was not enough for me to photograph the existing world or directly appropriate a pre-existing image — I needed to have a hand in the creation and staging of the subject in front of the camera as well.
Beginning with a 35 mm photograph of a gravity defying Kleenex, made while I was a student at Maryland Institute, College of Art and ending with a digital photograph of a woman's face lit by an iPhone screen, made as part of a portfolio for Dis Magazine, I selected a visually and conceptually cohesive group of images that span a period of fifteen years. While these photos were made at different points in time, they all share a similar sensibility — their subjects are framed against a dark background and illuminated by raking light that accentuates the three dimensionality of the objects pictured in the image. Having adopted the language of commercial product photography in making the photos, it seemed appropriate to further this connection by printing the images on a repositionable vinyl material that is commonly used for promotional signage. By printing the images onsite in the studios above Downstairs Projects and adhering them directly to the gallery walls, I was also able to eliminate the need for mounting, framing and shipping to create an efficient exhibition model that I hope to replicate in the future.