Katherine Bauer
Of the Quarry Land
July 1 – August 7, 2016
Opening Friday July 1, 6-9pm

Katherine Bauer, “Waterfolds no.2” and “Waterfolds no.3”, 2016, analog c-prints, 36 x 24 inches – Image courtesy of the artist


Installation Views

Microscope Gallery is very pleased to present “Of the Quarry Land”, the second solo exhibition at the gallery by artist Katherine Bauer. The artist continues an investigation begun with her series “Teenage Dream Sequence” in new works created through ritualistic performances during which the artist exposes 16mm film and photographic paper rolls to elements of nature – plants, soil and moonlight, among others.

Bauer, who for several years has centered her works around various rites of passage of the American teenager, focuses this time on the abandoned industrial quarry, presented as a “shrine to the inherently transgressive activity that has led to the need to create sacred spaces”, or as privately owned property that adolescents and others commonly trespass, as well as an industrial wasteland undergoing a transitional process of reclamation by the earth.

“The quarry featured in my work has springs beneath it that were once considered sacred. Springs generally are sites inhabited by divine presences, which in this case have been silenced by the utilitarian interpretations inherent in the mining process. I see my work here as reawakening those divine presences.” – KB

“Of the Quarry Land” debuts Bauer’s “lunagrams”, large black & white photograms made with datura, nightshades and other moonflowers exposed to moonlight, exhibited alongside hand-processed 16mm films shot at dusk at the quarry that are dense with the turquoise imagery of the unnaturally saturated blue water caused by limestone excavation. Also on view are analog c-prints of enlarged 35mm film photographs shot by the artist on site from both above and under water.

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Katherine Bauer works primarily with 16mm film and its material potential for sculpture, photography and installation. Much of her work involves mythologies, folklores, and narratives. In addition to Microscope Gallery, her work has previously exhibited at Participant Inc., NY; Shoot the Lobster, Dusseldorf, Germany; and Immanence Gallery, Paris, France among others. Bauer was awarded a 2012-13 Cité Internationale des Arts Paris Residency and was a recipient of a Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Foundation Fellowship (2012-13). Her work has been reviewed in Artforum, Artspace, and The Village Voice, among others. Bauer holds a BA in film and electronic arts from Bard College and a MFA from NYU Steinhardt (2013). She was born in Houston, Texas and currently lives and works in Hudson, New York.

“Of the Quarry Land” runs from Friday July 1 through Sunday August 7, 2016. Opening Reception Friday July 1, 6-9pm. Gallery Hours: Thursday through Monday 1-6pm.

High-res or additional images are available upon request. For inquiries please contact the gallery at inquiries@microscopegallery.com or by phone at 347.925.1433