Christopher Colville's Flux Closes Saturday June 22,2019

By Alexandra Jo

In the final days of Flux, Christopher Colville’s solo exhibition at photo-eye Gallery, I find myself reflecting on the mystery and complexity that continues to unfold from within each of his images, and the depth of thought behind the whole body of work. I’ve spent the past two months getting to know this show, and still find the images opening themselves up to reveal new questions and visual journeys every day. These photographs are exceptionally multitudinous and effortlessly invite second, third, fourth sessions of contemplation and interrogation.

Christopher Colville, Untitled Work of Fire 4-17 #4, 2017, Unique Silver Gelatin Print, 13x11" Image, $2800

It has been a pleasure to watch gallery visitors puzzle over Colville’s process. I’ve come to anticipate looks of bewilderment, intrigue, excitement when I finally reveal his technique of exploding gunpowder directly onto silver gelatin paper. I love that these works help people think differently about traditional media and expand the elasticity of common ideas around defining photography.

The fluidity of the work seems to also act as a mirror to the individual and how we see differently on any given day. There is something about meditating on these undulant shifts of light and darkness, finding the landscapes and objects hiding in the flashes of metal and smoke, that can reveal parts of the viewer to him-or-herself. The experimental spirit and skillful execution of the entire process is singular in its uniqueness and is an experience not to be missed in person.

Flux runs through Saturday, June 22, 2019.