Litmus Gallery & Studios, 312 West Cabarrus Street is proud to be a venue for the CLICK! Photography Festival. We are hosting two exhibits. "Shibui" by artist Paula Riff and "Billboards" by artist Tianran Qin.

Friday, October 5:  Exhibition wine reception, First Friday 6-9pm.

Thursday, October 25:  Exhibit closes 2 pm

October 5 – October 25:    Exhibition open Thursdays 10am – 2pm and by appointment: Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Paula Riff

Paula Riff's first career did not involve taking pictures. After college, she lived in Tokyo, Japan for several years and upon her return became an interpreter for Japanese production companies in Los Angeles. She switched careers while landing an internship at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the photo department. She also worked at the California Institute of the Arts, taking photos for their publications. Although Paula owns digital and film cameras her new work finds her camera-less, coating her own papers and making photograms. Paula's work has been showcased in numerous galleries and museum exhibitions throughout the U.S and internationally and is published in a variety of art publications. Her work is also held in private collections. 


Shibui

The Japanese word shibui refers to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty and it is this concept that reflects the spirit of this series. An object or piece of art that employs the characteristics of shibui may at first appear to be simple, but upon looking more closely, one notices the subtle details or textures that balance the simplicity with a rich complexity. 

For this project Shibui, I use camera-less images with the processes of cyanotype and color gum bichromate that allows me to explore and intervene with the natural world as an artist. Cutting the paper at various intersections also allows me to enter the conversation with the materials I use in a very intimate way. The intention is to strip away as much as possible so that I am able to focus more on the elements of design and consider the natural world in a different way.

I am influenced by the artists Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, Mark Rothko and others who experimented with their art and the use of their materials. Like them I am interested in ideas of revolutionary art making and experimentation, while holding true to the spirit of abstraction.

To see more of her work please visit her website: 
http://paulariffphotography.virb.com/

Tianran Qin

Tianran Qin is a photographer and a visual artist. Employing both the cutting-edge digital techniques and the traditional film negative, Qin emphasizes the significance of photography in his works and utilizes the photographic illusion to reveal the issues exist in the contemporary society.

Bornin Beijing, China in 1988, Qin started to learn photography during hisundergrad study. After earned the bachelor's degree of engineering inindustrial design, Qin became a commercial photographer. In 2015, Qin went to the US and studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He earned M.F.A.in photography in 2018. Now, he is living and working in Savannah, Georgia. 


Billboards
The billboards that line our streets and highways are the visual representations of consumer culture. Their physical structure and ability to advertise products are more important than the specific items they promote. In this body of work, I transform billboards into bodies of light to enhance their existence and critique their significance in consumer culture.
Long-term exposures erase the information on the billboards and replace advertising with light. This releases billboards from their given function and endows them with a new definition: the icon of consumerism. The contrast between brightness and darkness sets off the billboards and mystifies them, providing a fresh perspective on these familiar objects. Meanwhile, as almost the only light source in the photograph, the billboard enlightens the bleak surroundings. This relationship between structure and nature becomes a metaphor for the tension of consumerism in our daily life. The holy look of the glaring rectangle overlaps with its commercial essence and becomes the monument people worship in contemporary society.


For more information on Qin's work, to get in touch regarding employment opportunities, or to just say hello, feel free to get in touch.
www.qintianran.com