'Aeroglyphs & Other Nocturnes' Closing Week

Reuben Wu, XT 1876, Archival Pigment Print, 15 x 20 inches, Edition of 10, $1150

If there is one concept that hovers at the center of Reuben Wu’s photography practice, it is an acute awareness and unique interpretation of time. He juxtaposes the captured paths of illuminated drones flying in shapes over the course of a few seconds, with landscapes that seem to be utterly still, almost eternal. Wu’s work depicts scenes that are impossible to take in with the naked human eye because of his unique nighttime lighting and long-exposure technique. The photographs record light and patterns of motion compressing a span of time into one image.

Reuben Wu, LN 0309 (Time Present and time past
Are both perhaps present in the future 1), Archival Pigment Print,
22.5 x 30 inches, Edition of 6, $4,850

This temporal awareness in the work confronts viewers with a different way to think about the relationship between past, present, and future. Past is evoked by the monumental, ancient landforms in the work. A present moment is represented in the captured movement of the drones, which has also become closed in the past by the time a viewer sees the photograph. The work points to the future in the otherworldly sci-fi color palates, and the presence of forward-looking technology in the practice itself. In front of the work, viewers are snapped into their own present, situated in between these notions of past and future, moving through time linearly blink by blink.

Over the past few months, as I’ve sat with these works which simultaneously reveal past moments captured in light and motion, and landscapes that are still out there somewhere in the world this very minute, I have indeed found myself pondering the way that vision and the sensory human experience impact our perception of time. My deep enjoyment of the photographs and the cognitive work that goes into really seeing them, have made this exhibition feel much shorter to me than it actually has been. The last day to see Aeroglyphs & Other Nocturnes is this Saturday, November 16th.

Kate Breakey, Tree of Life, Mesquite, Full Moon Rising, Bahrain,
Hand colored Archival Pigment Print, 30 x 24 inches,
Edition of 20, Price Upon Request

As we move forward, the future congeals into the present, and photo-eye Gallery prepares for our next exhibition: Tree Stories by Kate Breakey. This exhibition will feature works from multiple bodies of Breakey's work, including gold leafed orotones, hand colored pigment prints, and hand embroidered images of nests printed on silk. Tree Stories will be on view from November 22, 2019 to February 22, 2020, with an opening reception Friday, November 29th from 5-7 pm in coordination with the Railyard Arts District Last Friday Art Walk.

»View more work by Reuben Wu

»View more work by Kate Breakey

All prices listed were current at the time this post was published.

For more information, and to purchase artworks, please contact photo-eye Gallery Staff at:

(505) 988-5152 x 202 or gallery@photoeye.com

• • •

Current Exhibition
Reuben Wu: Aeroglyphs & Other Nocturnes

On view through November 16, 2019

» View work from Aeroglyphs series

» View work from Lux Noctis series

photo-eye Gallery | 541 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

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'Aeroglyphs & Other Nocturnes' Closing Week