Shadow, sculpture of centaur, Tuileries (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, pedestal, 120 x 5 x 5 cm

Spencer Finch In Praise of Shadows

Berlin, December 01, 2007 January 26, 2008

Galerie Nordenhake is pleased to present “In Praise of Shadows” an exhibition with new works by the artist Spencer Finch. Shadows are an always present element of Spencer Finch’s artistic exploration of the psychological and physiological aspects of perception and its limits. His current show at MASS MoCA exemplifies the wide range of ideas and visual modes with which Finch approaches the paradoxical nature of light and colour. The show “In Praise of Shadows”, however, is specifically devoted to the complex world of shadows. The title derives from Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s short 1933 treatise, a meditation on the aesthetics of shadows in Japanese culture, threatened by the omnipresence of electric light: “Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty”, Tanazaki states.

  • Lemon Tree (Spain, June 27, 2007, 7am-7pm), 2007, 12 inkjet prints, framed 30 x 244 cm
  • Shadow, wall, Quai Voltaire (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, 120 x 5 x 5 cm
  • Shadow, column, Louvre (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, 120 x 5 x 5 cm
  • Shadow, corner, Rue de Nevers (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, 120 x 5 x 5 cm
  • Shadow, sculpture of centaur, Tuileries (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, pedestal, 120 x 5 x 5 cm
  • Shadow, under Pont Neuf (after Atget), 2007, fluorescent light, fixture, filters, 120 x 5 x 5 cm
  • Exactly five in the afternoon (Spain, After Lorca, June 24, 2007), 2007, watercolour on paper, 56 x 72.5 cm and After Auden (Studio Shadow, December 6, 1997, 1:52pm), 1997, watercolour on paper, 56 x 72.5 cm
  • Shadow (Inside Goethe's Window, November 27, 2007, noon), 2007, paint on wall, dimensions variable
  • Moon Shadow (Weimar, November 27, 2007, 3am), 2007, inkjet print, 21 x 29.5 cm, and Telekinesis Attempt #3, March 9, 1995, 1995
  • Telekinesis Attempt #3, March 9, 1995, 1995, spoon, wood, metal, and watercolour on paper, 113 x 77.5 cm
  • Untitled (Creating a Shadow), 2007, 5 water glasses, water, ink, white paper, dimensions variable