Black-and-white Backdrop #2
Eileen Quinlan American
Printer Sam Merians
Mounted by Sam Merians
Not on view
Best known for her semi-abstract photographs of smoke reflected in arrangements of tilted mirrors, Quinlan is fascinated by photography's complex relationship to truth and deception. In this cryptic study of a piece of leathery fabric, she deliberately fosters a sense of optical confusion between the wrinkly surface texture of her source material and that of the photographic print. Quinlan uses traditional photographic materials-film and chemical developing; here, the scratches and flaws in the negative heighten the overall sense of mystery, giving the work a satisfyingly palpable presence.
