American photographer Steve Giovinco will present images from two photographic projects: the endlessly mysterious nature of couples’ interactions from his series, On the Edge of Somewhere; and evidence of epic but subtle changes in extremely remote areas around arctic Greenland captured in his long-exposure nighttime photographs. His use of long exposure photography in near-total darkness makes it impossible to see through the camera’s viewfinder, and instead Giovinco “feels” the image, in tuitively framing it in the dark. His experience of the process can be meditative, revelatory and… terrifying.
Informed by his unconscious as well as a sense of history, culture, and the environment, Giovinco’s work captures the immensity of human and natural spaces, and feelings of loss and transition. Curious about interpersonal and environmental change, his visual representations allow the viewer a deep, unfolding, and emotional experience.
Giovinco’s inspirations are far reaching: the paintings of Frederick Church and the Hudson River School; the photographs of Eugène Atget, Brassai; the films of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, the Scandinavian and German cinema, movies his father would bring home as a child; Roman ruins and large, abandoned industrial structures.
Indeed, in 1992 his need and vision led him to create an additional tool: a hand-held, large-format (8×8″) camera. Steve Giovinco’s works are exhibited in fine arts museums around the world, and are included in numerous private and public collections.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Steve Giovinco is a New York based photographer. His work is in numerous public and private collections around the world including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the California Museum of Photography. Exhibitions of his work include the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag; Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia; Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati; Winnipeg Art Gallery; White Columns, New York; Sadler’s Wells, London; Gyeongnam Art Museum, Korea. He was commissioned by one of the first blockchain art platforms, Monegraph. Giovinco earned his MFA in photography from Yale University. As a Fulbright Fellow Alternate, he received a Yaddo artist residency and numerous grants.
ABOUT OUR DISCUSSANT
Tom Hennes is founder of Thinc Design and is a member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees. Believing in the implicit power of exhibition as a medium to engage society in important ways, he has pursued an ever-deepening involvement with projects embedded in social and environmental justice. Hennes has written extensively on the multi-faceted role of museums and has taught at leading academic and design institutions including the Rhode Island School of Design, the Pratt Institute in Boisbuchet, France, New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, and the University of Pretoria, among many others.
Join us for what promises to be an evocative presentation and discussion, with this very special guest.