The Unphotographable At Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

This is a fascinating exhibition curated by Jeffrey Fraenkel of the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco exploring the concept of the unphotographable.

In his essay on the exhibition Fraenkel writes, “From the moment of its invention almost 175 years ago, photography has proven adept at depicting the photographable: the solid, the concrete, that which can be seen. […] But another tradition exists, a parallel history in which photographers and other artists have attempted to describe by photographic means that which is not so readily seen: thought, time, ghosts, god, dreams. A vast array of strategies has been employed to bring such pictures about, tactics that have intersected and enriched the strains of modern art.”

  • ADRIEN MAJEWSKI Mr. Majewski’s Right Hand. Posed for 20 Minutes. Room Temperature. [Main Droite de Monsieur Majewski. Pose 20 Minutes. Température Ambiante] 1895 - 1900 printing-out-paper print 6-5/8 x 4-5/8 inches (image) [16.8 x 11.8 cm] 7 x 4-7/8 inches (sheet) [24.1 x 12.4 cm]
  • ALFRED STIEGLITZ Equivalent 1931 gelatin-silver print 4-3/4 x 3-5/8 inches (image, sheet & primary mount) [12.1 x 9.2 cm] 13-3/4 x 10-7/8 inches (secondary mount) [34.9 x 27.6 cm]
  • BRUCE CONNER Angel Light 1975 gelatin-silver photogram 85 x 39 inches (image, sheet & mount) [216.0 x 99.0 cm] 86-5/8 x 40-3/4 inches (plexi frame) [220.0 x 103.5 cm]
  • CHRISTIAN MARCLAY Silence (The Electric Chair) 2006 silkscreen ink on paper 20-1/2 x 30 inches (image & sheet) [52.1 x 76.2 cm]
  • IDRIS KHAN Black Horizon 2010 / printed 2010 bromide print mounted on aluminum 30 x 30 inches [76.2 x 76.2 cm]
  • JAY DEFEO Untitled 1973-74 gelatin-silver print with incised lines 9-3/4 x 7-3/4 inches (image, sheet & mount) [29.9 x 19.7 cm] 20-3/4 x 16-3/4 inches (frame) [52.7 x 42.6 cm]
  • KOTA EZAWA Lubbock Lights 2012 Duratrans transparency & lightbox 20 x 24 inches (image & sheet) [50.8 x 61.0 cm] 22 x 26 inches (lightbox) [55.9 x 66.0 cm]
  • PAUL GRAHAM Fuji Fujicolor Super HR400, 400asa, Beyond Caring, 1984 2011 pigment print 26-3/4 x 34-5/8 inches (image, sheet & mount) [67.9 x 87.9 cm]
  • PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN Miss Loïe Fuller 1890s albumen silver print 5-5/8 x 4 inches (image & sheet) [14.3 x 10.2 cm] 6 x 4-1/4 inches (mount) [15.2 x 10.8 cm]
  • WALEAD BESHTY Transparency (Negative) [Kodak Portra 400NC Em. No. 2051: April 25 - 29, 2011 LAX/SFO/PEK PEK/SFO/LAX] 2011 pigment print 44 x 59-3/8 inches (image & sheet) [111.8 x 151.1 cm] 52-7/8 x 68 inches (frame) [134.3 x 172.7 cm] Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles © Walead Beshty.
  • WALEAD BESHTY Transparency (Positive) [Fujichrome RDPIII Provia 100F Em. No. 05481: April 25 - 29, 2011 LAX/SFO/PEK PEK/SFO/LAX] 2011 pigment print 44 x 59-3/8 inches (image & sheet) [111.8 x 151.1 cm] 52-7/8 x 68 inches (frame) [134.3 x 172.7 cm] Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles © Walead Beshty.
     

The exhibition includes photographs by Adrien Majewski, Alfred Stieglitz, Christian Marclay, Idris Khan, Jay Defeo, Walead Beshty as well as a number of unknown photographers.

Special thanks to the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco for granting permission to reproduce these images.

Books, Exhibitions, PhotographyPermalink

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