Open Aperture: The Evolution of Photography in an Abstract World

Fine art photography, like science, is undergoing major transformations. Just as George Eastman’s invention of roll film changed the world’s artistic outlook, so too have Instagram and other communications technologies multiplied the possibilities for artistic expression. This retrospective, organized by genre rather than year, explores important categories such as cameraless photograms, self-portraiture, environmental portraiture, street photography, documentation, and abstraction. It contains examples of the groundbreaking work of photographers from Diane Arbus, Edward Weston, and Alfred Stieglitz to Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, often grouping the artists together in unexpected ways. While it provides a brief history of the different genres, this is not a history book, but rather a study of the uniqueness of particular photographic visions in their time. It will inspire fine art photographers to challenge preconceived concepts, overcome creative block, and become part of the new avant-garde.