The Olga Korper Gallery is pleased to present the inaugural exhibition of photography by Scotiabank Award winner Mark Ruwedel. Born in Pennsylvania in 1954, Ruwedel initially studied painting before being drawn in to photography by the narrative documentary works of Walker Evans, and Robert Smithson’s landscape sculpture Spiral Jetty, which influenced the way he thought about the passing of time as it related to sculpture and landscape. In that regard, the desert has always been fascinating for Ruwedel in its capacity to record the passage of time: the evidence of human presence in forgotten pathways, abandoned artifacts, skeleton structures decomposing in the wilderness, all being absorbed back into nature.
Homeward bound. Home sweet home. Home is where the Heart is. There’s no place like Home. This exhibition explores the romance of ruins, focusing on Ruwedel’s Wonder Valley, Desert Center, and Dusk series. The incredible detail of these mostly monochromatic landscape images requires the patience in observation, composed to deceive the hurried viewer. Much like the children’s game ‘spot the difference’ where two seemingly identical images are placed side by side, the longer your eyes flick back and forth between Ruwedel’s images, the more differences appear. The Desert Center series captures five deserted houses in transition to complete obliteration. At first they are almost impossible to tell apart, until you realize the five matching awnings have each collapsed in slightly different ways, the trees and power lines all variations of the same thing. Siblings, but not twins.
The Wonder Valley series focuses on a similar aesthetic relationship – Jackrabbit Homesteads (named after the bunnies that could be found in the shade cast by the small buildings) were a result of federal land grants in the early 1950s, that required a structure be erected to “prove up” the land – these prefab houses were a cheap and easy solution at a time when self-sustained living was still such an integral part of the American Dream. Within a few short years the harsh environment of the Mojave Desert and lack of infrastructure led to the abandonment of most of these buildings. Hundreds of these derelict structures remain, part of the topography of the Mojave Desert, being absorbed slowly back into the unforgiving landscape.
The exhibition is installed and on view until October 1st.
A formal opening will be held September 8th 5-8pm and the artist will be present.
Opening Reception
September 8, 2016 5:00 pm – 8:00 pmArtist Links
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Included Artworks
Desert Center Suite (Neighbors #39), 2015
Mark Ruwedel5 silver prints, ed. 2/3 20.5” x 24.5” - each
