Detail

We can see a quality textile, falling gently, and lit by a bright source of light. It is shining, and you can even imagine hearing the soft rustling sound that accompanied the hanging. Is this a drape? What is hidden behind it? A stage on which a wonderful spectacle has just taken place? A view out of a window? Or is this a fine cloth that adorns a decked table and rests on the legs of invited guests? This work by James Welling makes us curious, and it is confusing. His composition is full of calm and is unusually sensual. It could almost seem like a photo of a painted work. Or it could be a detail from a study of textiles, which—presented in a broader frame—has now been presented for our attention. Welling‘s works display his interest in materials and structural aspects of the world. His artistic work includes diverse series of photographs, with documentation of architecture, landscapes, and photograms; groups of works that seem like painted photos and are reminiscent of color-field painting, as if created with colored light. Welling‘s complex and ambivalent pictures invite us to decode them, and lead us to ask questions about photography, art, and our perception of the world.