Today, I had the opportunity to look at Luca Nino Antonucci’s work from his current show, COLLAPSE, at the Wire + Nail Gallery (San Francisco, CA) showing until August 21, 2011. The content of the show is based on light from 13.5 billion years ago. Using advanced photographic technology, which includes an infrared camera along with a multi object spectrometer indicating distance, Antonucci creates an array of paper based work that illuminates (pun intended) what the human eye is unable to see, perhaps, even fathom. The show is accompanied by a book project created in collaboration with Daniel R. Small called “First Light” that explains, in laymen’s terms, the process behind the art. The show itself is a great example of what can be done with photography when an artist uses it to create something seemingly unimaginable and enigmatic. Yes, you have to think about the work and not just look. It begs the viewer to wonder, which is the beauty behind the work. Although the viewer is well aware of light’s inevitable demise, there’s an amorous and sentimental feeling gleaned from the work.
My favorite pieces from COLLAPSE: The White Embossments of Star Clusters *sigh*
Learn more about Luca’s work by visiting his website here.
Dorothy R. Santos 