The Material Image: Celebrating Analog and Experimental Photography
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The exhibition highlights diverse approaches to photography that foreground process, materiality, and the handmade in an age dominated by polished digital images.
Curated by UNCW Lecturer in Studio Art & Art History, Dr. James Farley, The Material Image features works by Rebecca Chappelear, Madison Creech, Alison Harshbarger, Ava Hicks, Kyle Jernigan, Courtney Johnson, Andrew Jones, Chelsea Lea, Jennifer Mace, Lindy Schoenborn, Andrew Sherman, Nate Smith, and Melissa Wilgis.
The exhibition explores photography as both image and object. From nineteenth-century processes on glass and metal to film photography, hand-printed and experimental printing techniques, and photographs made without cameras, The Material Image presents photography as a tactile and alchemical art form that is thriving in a digital age.
“In today’s world of digital perfection, artificial intelligence, and instant gratification, these artists remind us that photography can be slow, material, and deeply experimental,” says curator Dr. James Farley. “This exhibition invites viewers to experience photography not just as a picture, but as a material and physical practice — something made, touched, and transformed.”
