The Fahey/Klein Gallery Shows Mark Laita's New Photography

Written by Martin Thornbury Monday, 30 April 2012 22:27

Los Angeles.- The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present three new bodies of work from photographer "Mark Laita: Amaranthine, Sea, and Serpentine". Mark Laita’s previous exhibitions at the Fahey/Klein Gallery were based on an eight year body of work entitled Created Equal, consisting of American diptych portraits that succeed in challenging or reinforcing our perceptions of American archetypes, and explore themes such as wealth, beauty, occupation, and age. In this most recent exhibition however, Mark Laita strays away from human subject matter all together, and instead focuses on beautifully preserved birds, mesmerizing snakes, and ethereal sea life. "Mark Laita: Amaranthine, Sea, and Serpentine" is on view at the gallery from July 28th  through September 3rd, with a reception for the Artist on Thursday, July 28th from 7 – 9 p.m.

In Amaranthine, Mark Laita expertly documents over 100 species of birds from several natural history museums’ ornithological archives. Photographed against a rich black background, the brilliance of the birds’ feathers and plumage is stunning—the feathers begin to resemble fine silks and brilliantly dyed, intricately patterned fabrics. Typically, the only clue that the birds are actually preserved, and not living, is the handwritten identification tags tied around their feet. The birds’ feathers and plumage are just as brilliant, delicate, and iridescent as when they were alive. The title of the series, “Amaranthine” (meaning immortal and everlasting), further defines this body of work as a remarkable study of the precarious relationship between death and everlasting beauty. Similarly, Serpentine is a collection of over 120 images of snakes, also photographed against a pure black background. Unlike Amaranthine, these subjects are very much alive, masterfully shot in a way that gives the viewer the impression that the serpentine subjects are capable of slithering off at any moment.

The snakes are captured as they are twisting and curling— their long bodies making graphic and fluid shapes, their scales appear to glow with unearthly colors and nearly florescent hues. The patterns of the scales, the shapes the bodies twist into, and the colors captured in their skins are undeniably mesmerizing, underlying the seductive quality and mythological presence that snakes have held throughout history. The third body of work on display, Sea, captures images of sea creatures as they are reflected near the surface of their own world. The photographs reveal the ethereal and otherworldly nature of sea life. The brilliant colors and remarkable texture of each animal is highlighted as the luminous creatures float and twist towards the surface of the water. Sea, Mark Laita’s second publication, will be published by Abrams in the Fall/ Winter of 2011.

Mark Laita grew up in the Midwest cities of Detroit and Chicago, where he discovered photography at the age of fifteen. As a teenager he worked on a series of portraits of Chicago's homeless, which thirty years later matured and expanded into Created Equal, Laita’s first Fine Art series published by Steidl in 2010. Mark Laita earned a degree in photography from Columbia College and the University of Illinois/Chicago. He divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City.


The Fahey/Klein Gallery is devoted to the enhancement of the public's appreciation of the medium of photography through the exhibition and sale of 20th Century and Contemporary Fine Art Photography. Since the gallery’s inception, Their exhibition program has embraced a broad range of diverse photographers from Edward Weston to Berenice Abbott; Man Ray to Henri Cartier-Bresson; Irving Penn to Melvin Sokolsky; Horst P. Horst to Herb Ritts; Peter Beard to James Nachtwey, among many others. The Gallery is a leader in the field of Photography and is respected among collectors and colleagues. This position of leadership is a result of their dedication to the medium of photography, experience, and knowledge, which, over the many years, has been enhanced by the wide range of services the gallery offers. The gallery, with over 8,000 photographs in stock, deals exclusively in photographs as works of art in all genres including Portraits, Nudes, Landscapes, Still-Life, Reportage and Contemporary photography. The gallery website contains a broad range of over 10,000 images. The Fahey/Klein Gallery regularly mounts two-person exhibitions every five weeks. In addition to curating exhibitions in its Los Angeles venue, the gallery personnel annually curate and export as many as 15 - 20 fine art photography exhibitions for major international galleries and museums worldwide. David Fahey and the Fahey/Klein Gallery have edited, coordinated, and/or contributed to the production of over 65 photographic publications, including publications on the work of Peter Beard, Herb Ritts, Horst, Steve Schapiro, Allen Ginsberg, Melvin Sokolsky, Matthew Rolston, Peter Lindbergh, Sheila Metzner, Tom Baril, Bruce Weber, Hollywood Photographers, Sante D'Orazio, Jim Marshall, Richard Gere, and Mark Laita, among many others. The gallery will often coordinate the release of these publications in conjunction with the artists' related exhibitions. David Fahey and Randee Klein Devlin opened their spacious 3,800 square foot gallery in 1986. In 1998, Ken Devlin, who shares his wife Randee's passion for photography, joined the gallery as co-owner and partner with David Fahey. In 2010, David celebrated his 35th year of exhibiting and selling Fine Art Photography in Los Angeles. The focus of the gallery’s exhibition program has always been to expose Fine Art Photography to the international art and photography community. The interest in collecting photography has increased dramatically within the last 15 years. “With photography it is still possible to create a great collection” (New York Times). Record auction prices in photography continue to be reached, and most major museums have established, or expanded, their photography departments. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.faheykleingallery.com

---

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~