Painting With The Light Of Her Lens
Published by Daniel+Lauren
07 December, 2021 written by Daniel Quintanilla (aka danieldcnyc)
See original published article
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Flower #1, 2015, Archival pigment print on fine art paper (Edition of 10 + 2 AP) (28 x 22 in / 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
Space Gallery St Barth is proud to present a comprehensive solo exhibition of photography by Swiss artist Gabriella Imperatori-Penn, consisting of thirty-five pieces including new works from her Still Life and Sepia collections as well as works from her popular Flowers, Moonscapes, Stones and Extinct collections.
Imperatori-Penn’s ability to bring quiet focus to the essence of her subject is her artistic signature.
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn
photo courtesy of: Elaine Springer
The artist’s atmospheric use of light harkens back to the chiaroscuro of the Old Masters instilling each piece with a sense of visual harmony.
The artist explains: “As I desired to be a painter all my life. [Photography] is my way to paint with light.”
Deceivingly simple, Imperatori-Penn’s images create a sanctuary space wherein her viewer can contemplate the essential elements of composition: line, color, and form.
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Extinct #2, 2019, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 10 + 2 AP) (28 x 22 in / 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Extinct #4, 2019, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 10 + 2 AP) (28 x 22 in / 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
The passing of time and the fragility of life are concerns that the artist revisits time and time again.
Imperatori-Penn explores these themes indirectly through her Landscapes collection, which capture the strength and longevity of the rocks that will survive long beyond our life span.
She explores this theme again in her Extinct collection, which contemplates the truth that what is here now will not necessarily exist in time, and again in the Moonscapes collection, where she documents the waxing and waning of the moon.
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn considers landscape and nature photography her spiritual “sanctuary”.
It was during a trip to the island of Chios in Greece that the artist discovered the inspiration for her artwork amongst the polished stones and calm waves lapping at the shoreline.
Imperatori-Penn photographed these stones with a sense of purpose and focus that she describes as “almost like a Buddhist meditation”.
This trip also represents the birth of Gabriella Imperatori-Penn’s journey as a fine artist.
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Luminous Stone #12, 2009, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 15 + 2 AP) (12 x 10 in / 30.48 x 25.40 cm)
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Shadow Stone #10, 2009, Archival pigment print (Edition of 21) (9.50 x 7.50 in / 24.13 x 19.05 cm)
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Island Mountain #1, 2018, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 7 + 2 AP) (34 x 44 in / 86.36 x 111.76 cm)
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Mysterious Flower #1, 2017, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 10 + 2 AP) (28 x 22 in / 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Flowers #13 [Sepia Series], 2020, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 10 + 2 AP) (28 x 22 in / 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
Through her artistic practice, the artist seeks to spotlight the macro in the micro while allowing her audience to stop and reflect on the incomparable beauty of our world from the smallest pebbles to the largest astronomical bodies in the universe.
Imperatori-Penn draws attention to how the ordinary can be extraordinary and in doing so, shares her sanctuary with us all.
Gabriella Imperatori-Penn Moonscape #1, 2014, Archival pigment print photograph on fine art paper (Edition of 5 + 2 AP) (44 x 58 in / 111.76 x 147.32 cm)