Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, January 11th, 2025 from 4:00 - 6:00pm!
Meditations presents a collection of antique process photography of botanicals, landscapes, and portraits by San Jose artist Allan Barnes. These images captured as tintypes and ambrotypes are simultaneously otherworldly and understated, presenting places and faces as equally ethereal and rugged. Each image beckons the viewer with quiet grace, inviting us to take a pause in the beauty and mystery of the analog.
Barnes’ newest body of work features coastal landscapes using the process of wet-plate collodion. Traveling up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, he created these photographs using a mobile darkroom housed in his 1985 Toyota RV. Invented in 1851, this antique process is celebrated for its high level of detail and potential for interesting imperfections. The process involves coating glass or metal plates with light-sensitive chemicals before placing the plate in a camera and exposing it to light. The plates are then developed on the spot in order to fix the images. As there is no negative, each image is a one-of-a-kind photograph.
Originally finding his footing in the world of photography by documenting the vanishing landscape and architecture in his hometown of Detroit in the 1960s, Barnes' artistic practice has largely been defined by earnestly cataloging forms of the natural world around him. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he has almost four decades of experience in photography. As a former photojournalist, his work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Detroit Free Press, Spin, and Metropolis Magazine. Relocating to California in 2007, Barnes has been an instructor of digital photography at Ann Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill since 2017. He also offers workshops on historic photographic processes across California - where he specializes in portraiture using 19th-century cameras and techniques. His work has been exhibited at the Center for Photographic Art, the LightBox Photographic Gallery in Astoria, Oregon, and The Image Flow in the North Bay.
In conjunction with Barnes’ solo show Meditations we're excited to host our first artist talk, Darkroom Alchemy with Allan Barnes. Journey through Allan’s decades-long career exploring historic 19th century photography processes and image making. Also on display will be Allan’s mobile darkroom built into his 1985 Toyota Dolphin RV. Sign up for the talk and stay for a private tour of his RV darkroom! This event is free and open to the public. RSVP on Eventbrite to reserve your tickets.
