“Peace Warriors and Solitudes: Recent Photographs by Carl Chiarenza” opens at the Daura Gallery at University of Lynchburg with a reception at 4 p.m. Jan. 20.
As one of the preeminent photographers of the 20th and 21stcenturies, Carl Chiarenza (American, born 1935) has influenced not only the practice of art, but also the study and promotion of photography inside academia and beyond. This exhibition features 24 silver gelatin and Iris prints from two recent series of abstract works – Peace Warriors (2003) and Solitudes (2004) – inspired in part by the artist’s reactions to the war in Iraq.
Chiarenza said these works evolved in his studio while working with a collage whose elements began to resemble a samurai. Frustrated by the actions of the U.S. government in Iraq and the Middle East, the artist deliberately created work in which figures are suggested, resembling soldiers, the grim reaper, and Don Quixote. The Solitudes series emerged as purely abstract, sensuous imagery with smooth, reflective shapes.
This exhibition was organized by the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond, and will remain at the Daura Gallery through March 5.
