By Suzanne Révy
Two and a half weeks ago galleries, stores and museums were still open to the public. It feels like an eternity in this surreal moment of sheltering in place. Unfortunately, the anxiety of this pandemic cannot be assuaged by engaging directly with art, because museums have gone dark. When this viral scourge finally passes, and we can again venture into the wider world, you will want to visit the Fitchburg Art Museum where Jo Sandman’s “The Photographic Work” is on view through June 7th, 2020. I was fortunate to see it in those halcyon days, a mere two and a half weeks ago. AN UPDATE: The Fitchburg Art Museum is hoping to open in the first half of July in state’s Phase 3 of the re-opening plan, and they have extended the show through September 6th, 2020.
Jo Sandman, “Momento Mori #3″ Van Dyke Brown photogram on Arches paper, 11″x13.5” gift of the artist, courtesy of the artist, The Fitchburg Art Museum, Gallery Kayafas, Boston (print photographed by Charles Sternaimolo)
Sandman’s creative practice includes painting, drawing, sculpture and collage, but since the mid-90’s she has been making cameraless photographs featuring ghostly figures and faces in breathtakingly beautiful hand-coated prints. In a series of photograms called “Momento Mori,” Sandman collects small stones, coral or shells featuring shapes that suggest “primodial head-like forms” which she then carves or drills to more fully render those shapes. Placing the bits of detritus on light sensitive paper, the forms become hallowed visages presented as gem-like prints that recall the spirit photography of the nineteenth century. These expressive specters seem to reach deep into the essence of our emotional selves, and in a few prints from the series, “Metamorphose” she extends the drama by adding figure drawings of dancing skeletons to her tiny “faces.”
(Featured Image) Jo Sandman, “Metamorphose #13″ n.d. c. 1997, conte crayon on Van Dyke Brown photogram, 10 3/4″ x 13 3/8” Gift of the artist, courtesy of the artist, The Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston. (print photographed by Charles Sternaimolo)
Jo Sandman, “Light Memory #2″ 2006, sepia toned gelatin silver print, 16″x20”, gift of the artist, courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
In the series “Light Memory,” she uses clinical x-rays which are presented as Van Dyke brown contact prints. This nineteenth century printing process incorporating a twentieth century diagnostic tool renders skeletal details of a unique human being bestowing the images with a layered sense of human history. The grace of our bones, joints and spines is emphasized through form and framing in these tactile prints. We sense that, beneath the skin, our underlying physical differences are inconsequential from body to body. The gesture of a hand or the facial details of a skull reveal individual attributes when seen side by side, underlining the paradox of our common versus unique physical traits.
Jo Sandman, “Light Memory #33″ 2006, sepia toned gelatin silver print,16″x20”, gift of the artist, Courtesy of the artist, Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
Sandman elevates process in her work, and the hand of the artist is evident in the thermal drawings made by waving her hands over heat sensitive facsimile paper or the careful placement of shedded snake skins in two photograms. The mechanisms of coating paper and drawing with light endow these exquisite prints with a profound sense of vulnerability. It is perhaps a coincidence, but much of her imagery begins to look like the microscopic world that is, at the moment, threatening us with a dangerous disease. Her exhibit is paired with a multi-media exhibition called “After Spiritualism: Loss and Transcendence in Contemporary Art” which is an immersive antidote to the stress we face under the menace of Covid-19. Unfortunately, the museum is closed to the public until further notice, but will be just the right medicine when the virus has passed and their doors re-open.
Jo Sandman, “Serpent #1″ 2012-14, platinum/palladium photogram, 40″x36”, gift of the artist, courtesy of the artist, The Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
Jo Sandman, “Thermal Drawing #14″ digital pigment print, 2007, 22″x17”, gift of the artist, courtesy of the artist, The Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
For more information:
https://fitchburgartmuseum.org
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