Traces on the Landscape is a multi-sensory exploration of the ways in which contemporary artists depict the natural world. Featuring works by Kelli Connell, Dionne Lee, Leah Dyjak, Emmet Gowin, Deborah Jack, Mark Klett, Byron Wolfe, and Xing Danwen, the exhibition considers the connotations of a “trace” as a motivating principle of photographic practice through which artists engage questions about the body, identity, and memory from both personal and historical perspectives. Some photographers in the exhibition consider the ecological and historical legacies of natural resources, including salt, water, and gold. They examine questions of almost incomprehensible scale: How do human choices affect complex ecosystems or irrevocably change the natural environment? Others create new possibilities for old photographic technologies or afterlives for images included in land surveys, nature manuals, and postcards from an earlier era. Many of the artists presented retread paths forged by earlier generations of photographers, reenvisioning and reframing the journeys of their predecessors through the lens of a camera. Together, these artists redefine our relationship to the landscapes we inhabit.
Curated by Beth Gollnick, Curatorial Associate
