Houldsworth Fine Art presents three contemporary photographers whose work extends beyond the traditional lens and re-orientates the viewer's eye. Whether shot close or from a distance, the viewer is uncertain if the photographed objects and spaces are real or imaginary.
Richard Caldicott photographs the ubiquitous plastic storage container. Plates, tubs and bowls have been taken out of the kitchen cabinet and hover within, beside and behind one another in planes of solid, impenetrable colour. Under the spotlight, Calidcott gives them a refreshing luminosity and incandescence. Their inherent unbreakablity is undermined by an apparent delicacy and fragility. Whilst reminiscent of both Colour Field painting and the home design pages of the Sunday papers, the photographs breathe life into plastic and movement into the still life. Caldicott has recently exhibited at Kunsthalle Baden-Baden and Kunstmuseum Bonn.
Tim O'Riley digitally creates solitary spaces. Even though the final images contain recognisable and prosaic objects (desk, lamp, mirror, chair), one cannot pinpoint an actual location for these rooms. These are entirely imagined and infinite spaces, constructed within the confines of a computer monitor. O'Riley deftly manipulates and plays with one's sense of perspective with panoramic shots of a single room and walls seen through a looking glass. O'Riley was recently included in Printmaking and the Computer at Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery. He will be included in, along with Ricard Deacon and Sylvie Blocher, the upcoming touring exhibiton Signatures of the Invisible.
Louise Spence captures the boundless expanse of a weathered landscape. She returns to specific locations throughout the year, recording their subtle changes with slow snapshots. While concerned with the effect of one's physical surroundings on shaping our personal identity, Spence's photographs are also optimistic, hinting at future possibilities and changes rather than mere reminders of the past. Spence is currently showing in New Contemporaries 99 at Beaconsfield.
