Susan Derges – 25 years (1991 - 2016) at Danziger Gallery

© Helena Calmfors

By Helena Calmfors

Danziger Gallery is currently showing a beautiful retrospective of photographer Susan Derges’ work. Even though the art works are made with different techniques, and from different series spanning over 25 years, the exhibition is cohesively tied together both visually and conceptually by addressing the relationship between self and nature, something that is central for Derges’ artistry.

Derges made a name for herself in the 90s by creating a series of photograms in which she captured the texture of water by placing photographic paper directly into rivers and shorelines to create a camera-less photography of the water’s movement.  In her most recent work she has interested herself in tide pools, where she photographs the temporary ecosystem in rock pools that will only last until the next tide comes to take it away.

By using alternative techniques where the camera is not always a necessary tool, Derges has succeeded in eliminating the barrier between photographer and object and between man and nature. This reflects the distance that we often put between our environment and ourselves in how we ignore the effect we have on the planet we live on. These images leave no barrier but instead set the viewer directly in touch with nature’s world as being the same as our own.

The exhibition at Danziger Gallery opens the door to a magical parallel universe that is at the same time exposing the reality of natures hidden forces. There is a transient feeling in the works as they are all capturing nature’s fleeting moments and the inevitability of change. It is both abstract and concrete; both dream and reality.

© Helena Calmfors

The exhibition is open through October 29th. Opening Hours : Tu -  Fri 11:oo am - 6:00 pm, Sat 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm. The gallery is located at 95 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002; Tel. 212.629.6778.