Ross Kelly - Photography 2

This ongoing series of images plays upon photography's ability to disclose as well as to obscure. It took as its initial subject, the American West, a landscape that possesses a deep and in many ways obscure history; but one which, driven by multiple agendas, has been portrayed through painting, photography and cinema in very specific ways. Using longer exposure times and vehicular motion to blur the images this work attempts to draw upon aspects of the picturesque or grandiose representations that came out of these traditions, but without trying to say anything too specific or leading about the subject. To this effect, motion blurs the finer details and the prints err on the darker side, investing a feint dullness in each scene and allowing the landscape to retain some of its secrets. This work was originally exhibited, printed on watercolour paper and displayed in purpose built unglazed light-boxes that contextualized the work both in homage and in juxtaposition to various other media used to portray the American West over the centuries.

Ross Kelly, Gallery 295 Installation View, 2013

Ross Kelly, Untitled North Dakota, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled Texas, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled Missouri, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled Minnesota, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled Colorado, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled California, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"

Ross Kelly, Untitled Arkansas, 2013, Archival Inkjet Print on Watercolour Paper in Unglazed Lightbox, 24" x 32" x 4.5"