FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Kim Steele

 Recent Photographs
September 3 - October 5, 2002

Searching out sites of immense scale and visual power, Kim Steele photographed industrial subjects such as dams, airplane hangars, and heavy machinery from 1976-1985. He discovered the aesthetics inherent within these monumental man-made locations and objects then printed them on large paper to elucidate the poetics he captured on film. These large-scale prints predate the current trend; he started making 40 x 40 inch prints on the floor of his studio in the late 1970s. His awe for mechanical beauty was inculcated by his father, an Air Force pilot, and Steele had early exposure to the inner workings of aircraft.

While working in the commercial world, Steele continues his personal record of monuments around the world. He found iconic subjects during international exploration of Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest and Vienna as well as US cities. Invested with political and religious meaning, these sculptures are energized by Steele’s approach to lighting and perspective. His use of strobing, blurring, and night imaging, all in black and white, gives these static figures vitality akin to movement.

Kim Steele currently lives and works in San Francisco. Steele’s work is included in distinguished public collections including Museum of Modern Art, NY, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA, and Seattle Art Museum, WA.

The exhibition will be on view at the Charles Cowles Gallery, 537 West 24th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues in Chelsea. Hours are 10am to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

There will be a reception for the artist on Thursday, September 12 from 6-8 pm.

For further information or photographs, please contact the gallery.

Above image: Concrete Icon, 1978, gelatin silver print, 40 x 40 inches